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Simon Phipps's personal commentary

Can't afford to seethe [PhotoTravel]

I'm sorry, I get very upset when I encounter injustice. Read Nicholas Monahan's story. Judge for yourself whether the loss of liberty air travellers are encountering at the moment, and the suspicion that is raised towards those exhibiting normal humanity (as opposed to a placid, servile calmness that can only come about under these circumstances if one is on drugs), is too high a price to pay for a promise of personal and corporate security which is as yet unproven. Personally I feel insulted, demeaned and frustrated in my powerlessness as I read the story but, of course, your (air-) mileage may differ.

Why would someone in authority make up that story about Nicholas? Well, I'd suspect that he was scary to the guy that was talking to him and that guy also lost it and over-reacted. As such over-reaction on the part of the staff is probably viewed negatively (they too are probably supposed to live as if they took tranquilisers) they probably over-state and garnish all the facts of the case. I too have personally encountered this, at Heathrow, where I admit I swore at the brain-dead security guy but who, in his (verbal) report to his supervisor made it sound as if I had threated and almost attacked him. Simon Calder of the Independent also reports the heavy-handedness of the way things are implemented.

The biggest threat of all from this arrest-first-make-up-the-story-later approach is that from January 1st (according, again, to Simon Calder, in yesterday's newspaper) the US requires anyone who has ever been arrested, even if never charged, to get a visa in advance of travel. Air travel is no fun these days (not that it was much fun before). The sense of slipping back in time is so strong.

posted at 8:11 AM (UK) | |