Feel Safer Now That Knives and Clubs Will Be Allowed On Airplanes?

In what amounts to another bonehead decision by the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, airline passengers will soon be permitted to carry small knives, hockey sticks, two golf clubs and pool cues on board commercial airliners. Just about the time the flying public became accustomed to stashing their small Swiss Army Knives and nail clippers in their luggage, now these items are going to be allowed to be personally carried on board airplanes. Janet Napolitano says that the changes are to be more aligned with "international" security standards. Really? You can soon bring your favorite pool cue on the airplane, but you still can't bring a bottle of water or a Pepsi on board. What sense does that make? The last time I flew I noticed a sign advertising that passengers 75 years old or older didn't have to take their shoes off? Why is that? Has there never been a documented terrorist 75 years of age or older? Why not let everyone keep their shoes on unless they are male Muslims between 20 and 40 years old, the typical profile of an Islamic terrorist? It's true that small Swiss Army type knives that can be attached to key rings pose little danger to the flying public. But, 10 hijackers all armed with small knives they place to the throat or eyes of five airline flight attendants would pose a significant problem. The same goes for souvenir baseball bats that are essentially wooden clubs that can be used to beat someone to death. Not to mention the damage the handle end of a pool cue could do. They are almost identical in size and weight of a police baton and could disable someone by striking his head, knees and shins. Napolitano and her staff argue that because cockpit cabin doors are secure and with the increased presence of air marshals, there is little chance of these items being used to open a cockpit door. No argument there. However, this is the same woman who told Congress our borders are as secure as they have ever been. But what if the pilot is having a romantic relationship with a flight attendant on board that has a knife to her throat or is being severely beaten by a hijacker demanding entry into the cockpit; will the pilot open the door? I certainly hope not, but such a scenario is not out of the question. If hijackers identify an air marshal and render him unconscious with souvenir Washington Nationals baseball bats and retrieves his firearm and threatens to kill the first class passengers if they do not get access to the cockpit, then what? Even if pilots will not open the cockpit door for any reason, the hijackers may not know that. Unless that policy (if there is one) is publically made known, hijackers may take the chance that they can coerce the pilot to foolishly open the door. These are more good reasons to allow off-duty and retired police officers to carry firearms while passengers on airlines. Delta is the first air carrier to complain about the pending changes. Airline attendants are also up in arms, so to speak, about the proposed changes, and for good reasons. If other countries want to allow passengers to carry items that are potential weapons, they should have the right to do so. But if a foreign air carrier wants to maintain flight routes to the United States, it should comply with already existing U.S. standards because so far they have worked to prevent an airline hijacking. In other words, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."