BW Online | April 10, 2003 | Better Airline Safety Is in the Bag

Matching checked luggage to actual passengers is required everywhere but in the U.S. Why is the TSA so stubbornly resisting?

Since September 11, hundreds of new security measures have been put in place to make Americans safer, or at least feel safer. Hotels and corporate offices now require guests to present a photo ID at check-ins and entrances. Airlines refuse to let passengers carry tweezers, nail files, knitting needles, and razor blades on flights. The U.S. Patriot Act, passed just six weeks after the attacks, expanded the government’s ability to wiretap American citizens — powers that’ll be in effect until 2005. This week, Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are expected to propose legislation that would allow such snooping permanently.

(I begin to feel unsure of our government’s dedication to it’s citizens.)