It has occurred to me, viewing the threads that were shut down, that silence on any potentially controversial topic is enforced and is the only option. I'd post a thread about it, but I honestly figure it would be shut down, see? Because it would be a controversial thread, and controversy is inherently political...or so it would seem. Never mind that we have yet to mention Democrats, Republicans, Congress, Obama...just airport security and governance. Political.
On kilts and flying...on flying, in general...
It doesn't matter what airline you fly. The rough part of flying is getting through security, because security is staffed by humans, and humans are a varied lot. Saying "I flew United and it was cool" is meaningless. I was on four different carriers over Thanksgiving, and they were all cool...Frontier brings everyone fresh chocolate chip cookies, US Airways had comfy seats and a movie, none had anything to do with security.
Or politics.
The best advice I've seen posted was in one of those other oh-so-controversial threads, where one of our members might have thumbed their nose at another, or possibly someone might have been snubbed, or maybe it was because someone whose name rhymed with "Travis" totally Godwinned the thread
, but anyway the advice was this:
"Go along to get along."
Smile. Everyone around you is more likely to be in a good mood, including the guy that has to tuck his fingers inside your waistband. The guy probably cries in to a 12-pack every night because his job description requires him to handle more packages in a day than FedEx. Have some compassion and don't be a jerk.
Be prepared. Is your luggage packed in such a way that it took three family members sitting on it to close, and will explode in a cloud of underthings, battery operated devices, accessory wiring and bellybutton lint if nudged? Or is it easy to take apart and put back together? Loose small stuff goes in a separate bag. Electronics go in a separate bag. Toiletries go in a one-quart clear ziploc...you know the drill. The point is, all those separate bags can be removed from your suitcase prior to the x-ray, and easily repacked...so instead of digging through your boxer shorts for a pair of suspicious tweezers, they pull a small bag containing only your cuticle-torturing implements and other small metal contraband.
Arrive early. If you are running late and freaking out over the stuff you accidentally packed in your carry-on, or the guy who doesn't know what a three-toed, moss-covered gredunza might be doing in your suitcase, you are less likely to smile. If you're carrying something unusual through security, like a suspension fork for a mountain bike (done it once, expensive fork) or bagpipes (they come with me everywhere), allow extra time for confused searching and explanations. If it won't blow up, doesn't contain liquid, can't be used to cut anyone, and is too small to be reasonably used as a blunt weapon, it'll fly...but it might need to be unpacked first.
Be professional. The people at security, other than the two or three you read about in the papers, are striving with utmost patience to be professional. If you return it in kind, your trip through security will be quick and easy regardless whether you are going through the scanner, metal detector, or pat-down. This includes bag checks.
I was only patted down once...the guy was professional, it was fast, no big deal. The rest of the time, it was the standard metal detector. Why the big about-face? Because what I experienced was nothing like what the Chicken Little reporting predicted.
Oh !#@$...did I just Godwin the thread? Sneakily, at that? Read the Chicken Little article on Wikipedia . They say "Nazi". Thread's gonna get locked for sure now, sorry guys! 
What does this have to do with kilts? The same thing that it has to do with bananas
(for those of you not frequenting the miscellaneous forum, there is a thread about bananas...just bananas. Not kilts, not funny, just bananas). What you are wearing just doesn't matter...it is your attitude and conduct that makes the most difference.
-Sean
Originally Posted by wildrover
It has occurred to me, viewing the threads that were shut down, that silence on any potentially controversial topic is enforced and is the only option. I'd post a thread about it, but I honestly figure it would be shut down, see? Because it would be a controversial thread, and controversy is inherently political...or so it would seem. Never mind that we have yet to mention Democrats, Republicans, Congress, Obama...just airport security and governance. Political.
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