Goldberg didn’t fill the thing up, but he did exceed the three-ounce limit by just 21 ounces. He believes that our current airport procedures may succeed in catching dumb terrorists. But the time, energy and money would be better spent on gathering intelligence if we want to catch the smart ones. And keep my dad clean-shaven.

Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Not a Close Shave".

6 Comments

1. 1. Grizzled 03:38 AM 2/8/09

   Mr. Mirsky, I just cannot believe the experience that you related in your article, the size limit of liquids and gels is 3.4 oz or 100 ml.
   
   You stated that TSA confiscated you fathers belongings and a pilots as well, but TSA does not have the authority to seize personal belongings, they may keep a person from continuing with an item, but people always have the right to keep their item and find some other disposition for it (with the exception of contraband, which they must immediately report to law enforcement).
   
   I feel that your opinion piece just fails to have its facts right.

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2. 2. ajft64 09:23 PM 2/8/09

   Airport security staff seem to be the same the world over, here in Australia my wife and I had an 8cm nail file confiscate and thrown into the 'dangerous items' bin. Having then made it past security we could purchase a relaxing beer from the bar inside the departure gate and (if you put it in your hand luggage) take the glass bottle onboard. Now I've been threatened with a broken bottle in the face in the past and its a terrifying and quite effective threat, but I've never been threatened by a nail file, but apparently them's the rules and we should feel safe as a result.

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3. 3. stevenhs in reply to Grizzled 11:55 PM 2/15/09

   Right, they aren't confiscating, just not allowing the item on the plane. Either the way, you need to buy more shaving cream, a new nail clipper, ....
   
   BTW, after one flight, I discovered in my backpack a jackknife that I had packed months before for a dayhike and had forgotten. So it got through security without anyone knowing, including myself.

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4. 4. DJW23 09:46 PM 3/12/09

   illusion indeed
   a passenger had boarded the flight that landed in the Hudson, but got notified via his cell phone that his business consultation was no longer needed, so he disembarked with his briefcase before the plane left. No one stopped him or even asked him any questions. There is an obvious 'directionality' to the short sightedness of the entire process.
   'Curiouser. ' But not unkempt.

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5. 5. diekmann 07:52 PM 7/5/09

   But that would require common sense (so uncommon in the political scene.
   
   Twila

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6. 6. JABenn318 06:56 AM 10/26/11

   I agree that under current rules the TSA will probably be able to protect us from the terrorists who are idiots, and possibly even from the ones who are morons, mainly because those belonging to these two groups have already blown them selves to smithereens by testing their suicide vests to ensure that they work properly, and corpses very rarely carry out successful hijackings.
   
   It is all just a charade played out to make the general public feel better protected than they were when no one questioned why 9 men of arabian descent took flying lessons and weren't interested in being able to land.

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