I'm starting to think that federalizing security at airports was one of the stupidest things that could have been done. We've combined the efficiency of government services with the detail orientation that the MVA is so well known for. Take this morning - I arrive at the airport at 6 am for a 7 am departure. Sure, they say I should arrive 2 hours early - sorry, but they don't need to claim that much of my sleep time. First off, the line stretches from terminal D (this is BWI) all the way over to terminal E. Second, they send someone over to facilitate those of us with upcoming departures - they shepard a bunch of us forward. Rampant line cutting ensues, as everyone in the new line is convinced that they are the only ones in a hurry.

I take a look at the normal line - it's moving along at a nice clip. They've got three - no wait, 2 lanes open for the "accelerated" line - one of the TSA crews had to take a break. Here's the first thing that eally torqued me off. I realize that there are work rules, and I realize that the screeners ability to focus will drop if they stay on duty too long. But still - when the lines are backing up over at the local grocery, they add checkers and open new lines - they pull people from other jobs for a few minutes until the lines die down. Nope, not the TSA. Rules are rules by gosh, and if travelers miss their planes... well, they should have just arived earlier. Never mind that the normal line got people through faster after that - I watched the people who had been behind me scoot through.

Which leads to the insecurity thing. Consider: there's a huge build up of people in line, in a small area, in the zig-zagging rope pens. There are no security checks to get into the terminal itself, just to get to the gates. Just how much damage could a guy with a few hand grenades do while the helpful TSA agents take their mandatory break? What they've managed to do is replace one problem with another - and even that's making the assumption that the new security is better than the old (I'm not convinced).

And what's up with having to take my PC out of it's bag? Two things:

• X-Ray machines see through the canvas bag
• No one else - not Canada, not Europe, not Australia - demands that I remove my PC from the bag

This process alone slows the line down a ton, and it achieves absolutely nothing. All the business travelers have to fish in their bags, pull the PC out, put it in a container. Then we all slow down so that we can watch the things and make sure they don't get lifted. What do we end up with? A system that:

• Slows the entire screening line down
• Adds no additional security
• Makes it a whole lot easier for thieves to make off with a PC unnoticed

Travel just gets more and more annoying, and for no good reason whatsoever.