REDMOND OREGON - HOTBED OF TERRORISM

I just got back from flying back and forth from the (for now) little 'burb' of Redmond, Oregon from/to Portland for a legal conference. As part of that I got to see my dear friends and their children, my godchildren.

Redmond, population 13,815, has very 'scrupulous' TSA employees. I have been through O'Hare, JFK, PDX, Dulles, - hell, even Heathrow just after the first Trade Center bombings - and never experienced such diligent and unbending attention to the slightest detail of each rule of law as I did in REDMOND OREGON POPULATION 13,815. Is this a good thing? We report, you decide.

Breezing through PDX to Redmond, I had the same 'purse contents' on the way back. Security at Redmond was very backed up - one security screener - and as I mentioned above, oh so diligent. Finally, ten minutes before my flight was scheduled to leave, there I finally was, confronting the purple latex gloved maven of all that is necessary to ensure the safety of our skies. She has my 'pale beige foundation', mascara, under-eye concealer (oh how I wish THAT wasn't necessary) and my Afrin sinus spray in her purple hands. She graciously tells me I can keep the Afrin since it's medically related. But, goshdarnit, I didn't have the other stuff in a clear zip lock bag.

I point out that nothing is over the 3 oz. limit for carry on liquids or gels. But, goshdarnit, ITS NOT IN A ZIPLOCK BAG! She tells me that I can step back into the terminal, buy a ziplock bag for twenty five cents and come back through, and THEN I can take my items on board. I look back at the half block long line (to which this mindless consistency is contributing) and tell her - "if I do that, I'll miss my flight". She shrugs and say, "well, then, we have to throw it away. Sorry."

At this point, I am tempted to ask her what fundamental chemical change will occur between the items she is currently holding in her purple latex hands and the same items which will later reappear inside a film of plastic with a ziploc on top. Then I ask myself if I want to get on the plane, or spend an hour in a TSA office being interrogated because I had the temerity to speak some logic to a federal TSA employee.

I tell her to throw it away and I board, sans cosmetic help, knowing that the people at the office will suffer for it tomorrow.

I am COMPLETELY in favor of airline security, being a nervous flier in the best of situations, but good grief! Redmond, get over it, and spend your TSA dollars on what really matters!