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markpkessinger

(8,845 posts)

21. Here's the real absurdity of the "shoes off" policy . . .

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 07:20 PM

Jul 8

It becomes clear just how truly ridiculous the requirement to remove shoes during airport screenings really is when you consider its origins: ONE would-be terrorist -- Richard Reid -- who tried unsuccessfully to ignite his shoes before passengers and crew intervened to stop him.

That happened on December 21, 2001, or 8,600 days ago. Consider that, on average, 2.34 million passengers depart from U.S. airports daily. I couldn't find the exact date when the TSA began requiring passengers to remove their shoes, but it was sometime in 2006. So, for a rough estimate, I'll assume the midpoint of that year, or June 1, 2006, or 6,977 days ago. So that means that roughly 16,326,180,000 -passengers - over 16 billion, or twice the entire human population of the planet -- have been asked to remove their shoes over a single, unsuccessful attempt!

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TSA to end shoes-off policy for airport security screening [View all] BumRushDaShow Jul 8 OP

If it means a shoe bomber or hidden weapons get on board, it's worth it to fire TSA workers and give wealthy tax cuts! Doodley Jul 8 #1

so now all the terrorists need to do is put material in their shoes? cadoman Jul 8 #2

But as you might recall BumRushDaShow Jul 8 #3

slippery slope: by that logic there is no reason to have TSA at all cadoman Jul 8 #4

Being a former fed BumRushDaShow Jul 8 #6

That brings memories PatSeg Jul 8 #14

The GOP created the type of thing that they spent decades blaming Democrats for creating BumRushDaShow Jul 8 #16

Republicans milked 9/11 every way they could PatSeg Jul 8 #17

Racial profiling would fail to catch Richard Reid too IronLionZion Jul 8 #13

Why announce it, just don't say anything and don't enforce it quietly. n/t tinymontgomery Jul 8 #5

Because there are lines and lines at the airport checkpoints BumRushDaShow Jul 8 #7

Simpler policy - from now on, 3Hotdogs Jul 8 #8

DUers should know that some shoes have a metal shank in them IronLionZion Jul 8 #9

Yup - the "steel toe work boots" (IIRC, we had some of my agency's employees who were issued those) BumRushDaShow Jul 8 #10

I heard Rebl2 Jul 8 #11

It's supposed to be phased in BumRushDaShow Jul 8 #12

I noticed it wasn't really being done at airports outside of the US fujiyamasan Jul 8 #15

Not really the rollback we were promised amcgrath Jul 8 #18

I fucking flew recently and didn't have to take off a fucking shoe at all. Still got popped and a goddamn pat-down. SoFlaBro Jul 8 #19

LOL, the slow demise of Security Theater maxsolomon Jul 8 #20

Here's the real absurdity of the "shoes off" policy . . . markpkessinger Jul 8 #21