The Friggin' Airport; Another Reason For Trains

Here’s a rant that takes me back, the friggin’ airport. I’m biased, I admit it upfront, because I travel at least a half dozen times per year by plane. I get the airport, I understand where my shoes go, and I generally don’t get frustrated by the inefficiencies of how it works. Having said that, this morning at SFO was astonishing. One guy is walking into the security line with a shopping cart full of luggage. Another guy is trying to scan his boarding document at the bag check station by pressing his printed ticked against the screen (little did he know directly to his left was a large sign that read “Scan Here.” What’s really so astonishing to me is how razzled everyone is. It’s like herding a bunch of panicking cats. No one knows what to do, and they are all absolutely losing it. It seems most people at the airport don’t know whether to shit or go blind. They have a ticket, a bag, and can’t be held accountable to do anything with those items. I wonder if I can commit a civil arrest of some kind, maybe administer a timeout for the person acting the most atrociously. Lastly, THE ATTITUDE of some of these people. [Ed’s notes: Digicrest once got thrown out of airport security for telling a security guard to go eff himself (you wouldn’t believe the day I was having, and even the F bomb wasn’t warranted]. So I’m an offender, and can recognize it when I see it. You see people questioning the airport staff on the most ridiculous of points. “What do you mean I have to get back in line? I have my ticket right here?” Well honey, your truck sized piece of luggage isn’t making it into the overhead so get your ass back and check it. This is why we need bullet trains immediately, that’s a medium I can get behind.

As long as we are one the subject, here's a great piece on the American high speed rail situation...http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2039897,00.html