Airport security

Good:

The Transportation Security Administration this morning officially announced some of the most dramatic changes in the screening of airline passengers since security procedures were revised after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The changes, which will go into effect on Dec. 22, come as the security agency continues to expand other measures, like using more bomb-sniffing dog teams. They include the elimination of a ban on small scissors and other sharp tools in carry-on luggage, a new form of random search, and a revision of the pat-down process.

...The elimination of the ban on metal scissors with blades of four inches or less and tools of seven inches or less, including screwdrivers and pliers, will give airport screeners more time for random searches and to look for items posing "a real threat," Mr. Hawley said.

This strikes me as a rare triumph of common sense. It's absolutely foolish to believe that the ban has made us any more secure. Like gun control, the logic behind the ban is childishly simply: Problem with terrorists carrying knives? Ban knives. Confession: On two occasions I have been able to sneak blades on board aircraft. Both times I forgot to take my blade/bottle opener/nail file off my key chain and put it with my check-on luggage. Rather than surrendering the thing, I took it off my key chain and stuck it in my backpack with my digital camera. Neither time was anything said by the screeners. Now, if that's something I can come up with off the top of my head while standing in line, think about the things a dedicated terrorist could do.

Further, I have a hard time believing that a plane could be taken hostage when the terrorists are only armed with blades. Think about it: In this day and age, any terrorist is probably going to be regarded by passengers as on a suicide mission. Like those people on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania, the passengers are likely going to regard themselves as essentially already dead and will fight back. As it is the ban pretty much ensures that law-abiding people -- those unlike myself -- won't have weapons of any kind.