Coffee, Tea or Depends

I worked on this editorial cartoon before I read that they are pulling back on the regulations but it still is a harsh reminder of how the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) can have a knee jerk reaction.

After the failed terror attempt on a Northwest Flight last week the following regulations went into effect for international flights:

Limiting international passengers to a single carry-on bag

Second-round security checks, including manual pat downs and body searches

On certain flights, disabling the map showing the plane’s progress and location

Prohibiting passengers from having blankets or pillows in their laps for the last hour of the flight

Requiring passengers to remain seated for the last hour of the flight

Now I have no problem with any of those things to promote security EXCEPT for the last one. It is at the point in the flight that they say I can’t get up for the bathroom, that I tend to always have to go. There were domestic flights that I took after 9/11 that they told us we would not be able to get up during the flight (less than 2 hours) so we had better go to the bathroom before boarding. Of course that was after I chugged a bottle of water.

When those of us with weak bladders and spastic colons are hindered in our ability to go when needed, then and only then have the terrorists really won.