Obviously not content with their naked body scanners, the TSA has now officially announced that starting in a few weeks, airline passengers will no longer be allowed to pass through security without showing identification. From the TSA announcement:
This new procedure will not affect passengers that may have misplaced, lost or otherwise do not have ID but are cooperative with officers. Cooperative passengers without ID may be subjected to additional screening protocols, including enhanced physical screening, enhanced carry-on and/or checked baggage screening, interviews with behavior detection or law enforcement officers and other measures.
There goes my standard procedure of refusing to show ID in exchange for a fun pat-down. Now I can’t even do that… I guess I just have to say “Gee, I must’ve left my ID in my other pants.” Or, more likely, simply not fly on airlines any more.
How this improves security is, as usual, beyond me. This directive clearly isn’t about terrorists at all– since any reasonably intelligent terrorist will have either a legitimate ID or a well-faked one. Rather, the directive is aimed squarely at those people (like me) who feel it’s not right to be required to show ID, and therefore refuse to do so simply for ideological reasons. It’s those people who the TSA is attempting to shut down.