Writes Randall Holcombe: “Two weeks ago Lora and I sent our two younger sons, ages 16 and 14, on a plane to San Francisco to stay with one of my brothers for a week. We could see them go through the screening at the Tallahassee airport, and they both were pulled out of line and detained for about 15 minutes while they and their carry-ons were thoroughly searched. And, it turned out that they were, in fact, carrying contraband materials. My 14-year-old had put a tube of toothpaste in his carry-on, which was confiscated. My 16-year-old was using the same backpack as a carry-on that he took to school, and the TSA found a bottle of white-out in it, which they also confiscated. After some questioning they were allowed to board their flight and did make it to San Francisco.
“Sometimes events like this can be strangely empowering. The summer before last I was coming back from London and was pulled out of the line at the gate for a through screening. The very polite British investigators were somewhat apologetic as they sifted through the materials in my briefcase, but I told them I was flattered that an old greybeard like me could actually be seriously considered as a terrorist threat! (Don’t you dare shatter this illusion by suggesting that I might have been chosen at random.)”
4:43 pm on August 16, 2007
