George Carlin
knew it all along

They should have listened to George Carlin, the high school dropout who is smarter than most Ph.D.s -- and has an uncommon dose of common sense. For years in his comedy act, Carlin has railed against airline security.

One prescient line: "In the unlikely event you can't get a knife on board, don't worry. After half-an-hour the stewardess will bring you one."

I learned on a flight last week that now they bring you a plastic knife. Along with metal spoons and forks.

The pilot did his best to make us feel better with this announcement: "In the unlikely event you do encounter a knife-wielding terrorist on this flight, pull your blanket up in front of your face."

Uh, thanks for the advice. Should I do mine before assisting the child next to me? And these pilots want guns?

Carlin said airline security is a farce designed to create the illusion of safety. It's unfortunate that it took such tragic events to prove the point -- and that there's still a long way to go before it's no longer a bad joke.

Dave Reardon

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