Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Viewpoints
I was talking to my sister yesterday about the carry-on bag/liquids/terror controversy. She is currently working part-time because she wants to spend more time with my nephew, but in her previous position she was a territorial sales rep (read: frequent road warrior). She still works daily the the rest of the sales reps in her company, who travel all over their large territories as part of their daily job.
She was mentioning that if the bans on liquids continue, and if airlines move toward banning carry-on luggage altogether, she predicts a massive drop in business travel by air. She said she would rather drive to a meeting in another state, rather than fly without contact solution and wait for her luggage to show up at her final destination (which, as we all know, sometimes does not happen). Not to mention the fact that checking your laptop is a pretty sure way to ensure its demise. That is, if it's not busy bursting into flames instead.
Victor sent along these letters to the editor of the New York Times that, for the most part, tend to agree with her. Some of these letters to USA Today echo the same sentiments. Of course, for every person who shares your viewpoint, there will be at least one that does not, and some of the authors of the letters I've linked would prefer a total ban on carry-on luggage in the interest of safety.
I don't know the answer to this dilemma. Reinstate the old rules and risk a terrorist attack? Ban carry-on items altogether and suffer the consequences? Only allow books on board (which, of course, will prompt someone to figure out a way to turn a book into a bomb!)? Is there some sort of happy medium that can placate both sides while keeping us safe from potential attacks? Is it all just scaremongering anyway, as some of my friends would like to suggest?
I'm frustrated that I even have to think about this kind of thing. I'm sick of whining about how the bad guys are always ruining it for the good guys. I guess I should just shut up and deal with it. But (surprise, surprise) I'm not going to like it.
I was talking to my sister yesterday about the carry-on bag/liquids/terror controversy. She is currently working part-time because she wants to spend more time with my nephew, but in her previous position she was a territorial sales rep (read: frequent road warrior). She still works daily the the rest of the sales reps in her company, who travel all over their large territories as part of their daily job.
She was mentioning that if the bans on liquids continue, and if airlines move toward banning carry-on luggage altogether, she predicts a massive drop in business travel by air. She said she would rather drive to a meeting in another state, rather than fly without contact solution and wait for her luggage to show up at her final destination (which, as we all know, sometimes does not happen). Not to mention the fact that checking your laptop is a pretty sure way to ensure its demise. That is, if it's not busy bursting into flames instead.
Victor sent along these letters to the editor of the New York Times that, for the most part, tend to agree with her. Some of these letters to USA Today echo the same sentiments. Of course, for every person who shares your viewpoint, there will be at least one that does not, and some of the authors of the letters I've linked would prefer a total ban on carry-on luggage in the interest of safety.
I don't know the answer to this dilemma. Reinstate the old rules and risk a terrorist attack? Ban carry-on items altogether and suffer the consequences? Only allow books on board (which, of course, will prompt someone to figure out a way to turn a book into a bomb!)? Is there some sort of happy medium that can placate both sides while keeping us safe from potential attacks? Is it all just scaremongering anyway, as some of my friends would like to suggest?
I'm frustrated that I even have to think about this kind of thing. I'm sick of whining about how the bad guys are always ruining it for the good guys. I guess I should just shut up and deal with it. But (surprise, surprise) I'm not going to like it.
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