TSA Fear Mongering

So you think you're safe from the TSA when you get past security?

Think again!

I was sitting at my gate, ready to depart back to Houston to go to Rice, so I decided to pop out my laptop and try to check mail. I booted up into Ubuntu and probably freaked out the TSA security people standing behind me because after just 5 minutes on the computer, they asked me to power down my laptop. Then they told me that they were going to inspect my person and my bags!

Perhaps it was because I was using the console to try to configure wireless with iwconfig, or maybe my bags were just too big (I had two laptops with me, what can I say?). Perhaps they had gotten word from the main security people that I tried to sneak some hard earned(and paid for!) hairspray and toothpaste on board that didn't add up to fewer than 3 ounces. What was really the case, I'll never know, but I chuckled inside hoping that for once I was being singled out for using Linux.

I was the first person they checked. They also checked a ton of other people too. Maybe they were just training some of the new hires?