Airline security as a cheap circus

It so happens that I had to fly a lot during last two weeks. And when you fly by anything other than your own private plane (as most of us do), you have to pass the security check in the airport. Well, maybe it's the same for the guys with private jets, but it's hard for me to tell.

Anyways, the way they'll try to take away your lighter, and bottled water and (gasp!) that really small and blunt knife you carry around for opening the cartons sealed with the scotch tape is plain ridiculous. Box cutters — now that I can understand. You can slit throats with the box cutter just as easy as you cut the said scotch tape. But manicure scissors?! Come on, high heels on that lady across the aisle make for much more dangerous weapon (as you surely will find out soon as she steps on your foot).

And after you have parted with your trusty piece of blunt steel and your precious 1 yuan lighter, they'll frisk you like you're some petty criminal (sometimes they'll tickle your bollocks just for the hell of it). Only after that you'll be deemed humiliated enough to go inside and wait for your (delayed) flight. Oh, and in Russia you'd have to take off your boots as well.

But the best of them all is the outright ban placed some two years ago on using cell phones. I mean,  come on! They invented the flight mode on the wretched things just for this precise situation! But no, it's still prohibited to turn on your mobile even when it's in the flight mode.So no more books for me while flying in China — at least until I get myself some sort of book reader that won't scare the living daylights out of Chinese flight attendants. Or until they get just a bit wiser here and allow the phones in the flight mode again (I'd bet on me getting the book reader, though).

And how many terrorists have they caught with these measures in place? Far as I know, none at all. It's all just a cheap circus (which at the same time costs a buttload of money while accomplishing exactly nothing). That's humanity for you...