What?

After 9-11 the government, under the auspice of the TSA, instituted a rule that said you can't carry a knife on board an aircraft.

Any knife, any aircraft.

Seemed like a good idea at the time seeing as how one of the hijackers used a box cutter as a weapon.

But now comes news that the TSA has modified the rule so passengers can carry a small pocket knife with a short blade on board.

Full disclosure:  I always carry a small Swiss Army knife in my pocket.  The one with a knife blade, a screwdriver/nail file, a pair of scissors, a toothpick and tweezers.

The idea that a small knife, of any kind, could not be used as a weapon is ludicrous.  Any blade can be used as such if the person using it means business and I would assume that anyone who would decide to use force to commandeer an airplane would, by definition, mean business.

Hell, they could use almost anything if they really wanted to, even a plastic spork, for crying out loud.

I think we need to have security on all of our means of transportation.  I don't mind standing in line, taking off my shoes and belt, emptying my pockets and being asked a lot of questions if, by doing so, I contribute to making my flight safer.

By the way, why doesn't the TSA screen at railroad stations and bus terminals?  A plane is a shiny metal tube with wings. A bus is one with rubber tires and a train is one with metal wheels. They all carry, more or less, the same amount of passengers near large urban centers. Is air travel the only vulnerable area within our transportation system...?   

The initial rule about knives made sense, not just because it was a knee jerk reaction to 9-11.  It made sense because, well, because it made sense, damn it!

One of the reasons given for the rule change was that the TSA doesn't think that small pocket knives are as much of a threat as they first thought.

If that's the case, then what about belts and shoes?  Everyday they find loaded guns but when was the last time you heard of a loaded belt or loaded shoes?  Maybe never, right?

Keep the rule about knives.  I can wait to unpack my stowed luggage to file my nails. It's the right
thing to do.

So, TSA...cut it out...sharpen up.  Get the point?