Take Off My Clothes?

The biggest change I have noticed in airport security since 9/11 is the need to undress. First it was the need to take off more of the metal jewelry or belts. Then it was the need to take of shoes with metal shanks. Now I have to take off any outer layers and all shoes. What the heck? This summer the guards asked me to take of my flip-flops!

My favorite was this past weekend when we were flying out of DCA. I took off my jacket (my thin, cotton hoodie), but not my shoes. It was cold and I knew my shoes hadn’t set off the detectors in Atlanta. The TSA woman demanded that I take off my shoes. I told her they didn’t set of the detectors in Atlanta and she said it didn’t matter. It wasn’t about setting off the detectors, it was about meeting certain criteria.

So if most of my clothes have to come off, why on earth do I have to walk through the metal detector? And why hasn’t someone invented metal detectors that are smart enough to figure out if my shoes or jacket are dangerous without taking them off? I don’t feel a bit safer, but I am a lot more annoyed….