Keeping A-Breast of Things

Over the past 10 years since the "upgrade" of airport security, I have accidentally passed through those security checks with all sorts of liquids and gels that well exceeded the 3-oz limit. My carry-on luggage has had razors, nail clippers, pocket knives and hand cuffs. (Don't judge me!) I've carried marijuana, a couple of ecstasy pills and a bag of mushrooms with me to Europe (again with the judging... I was wild and crazy then).... Nothing, not a second glance at all. ,

For what ever reason,though, a 1-liter, unopened bottle of water seems to be an issue.


Yesterday I flew from Los Angeles to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Entebbe, Uganda with a manual breast pump in carry-on. I sent my back pack down two conveyer belts to be checked and they said nothing... Now, a breast pump is a pretty odd looking thing in person. Stick it in a plastic bag, into a backpack and send it through the x-ray machine and it should set off someone's alarm. But no... again, though, that 1-liter, unopened bottle of water that I had just paid $2.75 for in the airport store, that I took out and showed them, is a huge threat!!! Go figure.


Point is, their job is not to catch the things we showed them... that's easy. Their job is to find that 10-oz bottle of body spray I didn't want them to take from me. Or maybe those illicit drugs I was carrying. If a crazy-looking contraption like a breast pump doesn't catch their attention, then why should we even bother with the TSA?
[This post was written in October 2011. Spawn was 4 months old]