Staying Abreast of the DHS

Staying Abreast of the DHS

Surely Mohamed Atta would have passed the background check, right?

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Here in Michigan the leaves are changing their colors, and so, perhaps, am I. After years of being the token New Dealer in these pages, I find myself flirting with libertarianism.

This, I hasten to admit, is in part because I spent the anniversary of 9/11 going through the full version of the TSA’s official “What Can I Bring?” list. This document, which runs to some 50 pages, makes for curious reading. The 3.4 oz limit for bottled water, hummus, and carry-on snowglobes is going strong, as is the somewhat less well-known “7 inches or shorter” rule for screwdrivers. Nunchucks, I am sorry to say, are still flatly prohibited. Blenders, however, “are allowed in carry-on bags if the blade has been removed,” which will no doubt be hugely comforting to weary travelers whose idea of relaxation is sitting in their hotel rooms and watching oranges spin centrifugally without actually being chopped. (It takes all kinds!) Bottle openers, meanwhile, are okay but not bowling pins, presumably in case Daniel Day-Lewis is onboard; paddles for both kayaks and can...