And to what end?
We know that the Bush administration has long tried to
earn points with religious fundamentalists. We also know
that this same administration operates incompetently the
majority of the time (both objective facts). Thus, creating
a speed bump at our borders to keep out evil porn would
be a good example of a policy that fits both MOs--it's
appealing to prudes and ineffective/costly at the same time.
We also know that the Bush administration has accelerated
our descent into fascism. This isn't hyperbole; anyone who
studies such things would at least admit that this is a
debatable assertion. The stopping of good travelers at our
borders for a little personal interrogation, while not effective
at stopping anything, is a marvelous form of thought control
(e.g., "Let's remember to not bring anything with us that
might be considered offensive to our government." begets
"Let's not say anything offensive to our government." begets
"My government knows best.")
I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle. As we've
all discussed, the TSA has been largely ineffective and they
aren't free. However, they have also now done a long list of
things that, for better or worse, have forced millions of
Americans to think twice before performing many different
innocuous actions before traveling. Given that this list is growing
and not shrinking based upon public outcry, I gather that my
second option above is either part of the plan or just a happy
coincidence.
Tom Fairlie
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Farber"