At 01:32 AM 8/7/2003 -0400, Douglas Schnell wrote: >The European media has a remarkable ability to find faults in anything >American. I've always felt it was tied to an inferiority complex, but >that is another discussion entirely. As an American, I find our own media has an amazing ability to ignore faults in anything American -- unless it's a TV ratings period, in which case they'll manufacture (or expose) minor scandals to drive up ratings without really causing unrest in the populace. I found the kid's note both pleasantly audacious and absolutely asking for trouble, very much like John Gilmore's refusal to present a photo ID when trying to check in for a domestic flight. I agree with the kid's note, but he shouldn't be surprised that the notoriously humor-lacking security automatons hauled him in and are proceeding to rake him over the coals. The TSA went too far in this case. They shouldn't have reacted to the note in any way at all; they should have done their task to the best of their ability. And the rest of America should be brave enough and honest enough to admit this. Nick