| "Bag check!" | | | | plastic bag." |
| When you're waiting in the screening line at the | | | | Why? If it were dangerous, wouldn't it still be |
| airport, silently admonishing yourself for not giving | | | | dangerous in a quart-size, zip-top, plastic bag? If it's |
| yourself more time to get to the plane, those may | | | | safe, isn't it just as safe outside of the bag? |
| be the worst words you can hear. | | | | The TSA worker launches into a list of the merits of |
| Oh, it's a simple enough process on paper. The | | | | quart-size, zip-top, plastic bags. They're see-through, |
| Transportation Security Administration (TSA) | | | | so their contents are easier to see. They limit the |
| screener operating the X-ray equipment yells it, and | | | | total quantity of gels and liquids per passenger. |
| as the line comes to a dead stop a supervisor comes | | | | Setting them aside makes screening go faster than if |
| over to look at the screen. If he or she agrees that | | | | each item had to be individually checked. |
| there's a problem, the offending bag is pulled out to | | | | Sure, okay. But your mascara has already been taken |
| be opened and visually inspected, and the line | | | | out and individually checked. And it's still in its |
| resumes movement at the normal glacial pace. | | | | factory-sealed packaging. |
| But wait. That's your bag. Don't panic. There's still... no, | | | | "I understand, but you can't bring it through without |
| your watch is metal so it's in the bin. You have no | | | | a quart-size, zip-top, plastic bag." |
| idea how much time you have to get to the plane. | | | | Does TSA provide such bags? |
| Not enough. | | | | "No, we don't have any." |
| All of this is lost on the TSA worker who's inspecting | | | | It's ridiculous. You can't take your physically inspected |
| your bag. He or she is explaining in a cheerful voice | | | | mascara that was bought just this morning and is still |
| that your bag is going to be opened, and that swabs | | | | sealed beyond security because you don't have a |
| will be used to detect the presence of explosives. | | | | quart-size, zip-top, plastic bag. If you did, you could |
| Explosives? Can't they just look at whatever caught | | | | take that same bottle of mascara and drop it into |
| their attention? | | | | the bag right in front of the agent, hand it back, and |
| You don't ask. It wouldn't help if you did. The TSA | | | | it would be allowed. |
| worker has a checklist to follow, and now that your | | | | How does this make America safer? |
| bag has been opened, it has to be checked for | | | | But then you remember the plane. You're running |
| explosives. | | | | late, and it's only a bottle of mascara. You're just not |
| Once the light flashes and your bag is determined to | | | | prepared to deal with the hassle of missing your |
| be free of Claymore mines, plastique, and Molotov | | | | flight. |
| cocktails, the search gets underway. Every | | | | "Fine. Toss it." |
| compartment is opened. They find it in the outside | | | | The mascara goes into the trash, the TSA agent |
| zipper pocket: that small bottle of mascara you | | | | cheerfully hands you your bag before turning to walk |
| bought this morning, still factory-sealed. | | | | back to the line, and you rush off hoping you'll make |
| "You can't bring gels or liquids through without a | | | | it to the gate on time. |
| quart-size, zip-top, plastic bag." | | | | But that same night, you make a wise decision: you |
| But mascara isn't a gel or a liquid. | | | | pack one quart-size, zip-top, plastic bag into your bag |
| "We've decided to classify it that way. That means it | | | | to make sure that this never happens again. |
| can't come through without a quart-size, zip-top, | | | | |