perfidy

Now the Transportation Safety Administration is fining airline passengers for getting lippy.

What kind of bureaucratic hellhole are we building ourselves? I already don't fly anywhere because of the cost and aggravation involved. And now we have to be unfailing polite to government workers who just broke our suitcase zipper as well?

Reason has a big story up this month about the TSA's repeated embarassments and failures. It's a terrible situation. Did you know that the name "Osama bin Laden" doesn't appear on the much-vaunted and secretive Passenger Watch List? Did you know that the names of some Catholic nuns do? Did you know that Air Marshals tend to be guys who couldn't cut it at the police academy? Did you know that the motto above the entrance to the TSA's air marshal training facility reads "Dominate. Intimidate. Control"?

Yeesh. Come home, Amtrak. All is forgiven.