Terror-flying Restrictions!

The US is at it again! Acting on intelligence that revealed a plot by some crazy Islamic extremist to blow up several flights with liquid explosives, the US and Britain has enforced yet more travel restrictions.
In the response to the terror plot the TSA (Transport Security Administration) rapidly implemented new restrictions on us, the poor passengers. Now we are not allowed to travel with liquids, gels, aerosols nor lotions in our hand luggage! Yes, sorry for you if you have dry skin, I guess you will be white and scaly in that airport AC. They have reportedly "tweeked" these restrictions to allow you a small amount of medication with you. Passengers have now been subjected to the extra hassle ( ...and maybe embarrassment for those whose shoes nuh smell right) of taking off our shoes and to be exposed to more radiation as we now have to be X-rayed at the checkpoints.[read story] That's not all, the searching of your luggage has even increased, so be careful where you put that dirty undie!

What is next, as it seems everything can be used as a weapon of terror? Will more restrictions be implemented? I can just imagine in a couple of years we will not be able to carry any luggage at all as it will be checked and and double checked and shipped to our destination in a couple of days after our arrival; we will all have to fly in the nude or some special outfit similar to the ones patients wear while in a hospital...for which the airline will charge a rental fee of course!

We now have to be careful of how many items we buy in the stores if we are of a certain ethnic descent as we may be charged for "collecting or providing materials for terrorist acts" and be careful of the pictures we take of certain landmarks like bridges and buildings or we could be charged for "surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes". I was watching CNN on the TV last night and saw this report where three young Palestinian-American men were arrested and charged with the two above charges because they purchased about 80 cell phones and one of them had a picture of a bridge on their cell phone. According to the men they were buying the cell phones at a cheap bulk rate to re-sell them for a profit, but according to the American officials, "profits from that kind of activity can be suspicious." and the cell phones could be "used as detonators". [read full story]

Well, that hussling just mash up! So remember whenever you are shopping, you are restricted to only purchasing a few items or else... I can just see a couple of Jamaican Higglers (informal importers and/or vendors) being hauled off to jail for buying several cheap flip-flop slippers or blouses, as the "profits from that kind of activity can be suspicious."

At this moment, I feel like just staying in my country. All this hassle has taken all the fun out of traveling. Maybe the terrorists are accomplishing their mission, of making the countries go bankrupt trying to implement anti-terror measures, to keep us terrified of doing the things that make us happy and from making a living, who knows...only the crazy terrorists. I have enough restrictions on my purchasing and traveling here in Jamaica...no money! All these additional restrictions are just more burdens on poor likkle me.

But I must admit, life has changed drastically since the increased wave of terrorist activity, and the effects are not just limited to the countries that are being attacked! I can't blame these countries for trying to keep innocent citizens safe, even if the methods seem crazy. What can we do but to just work wid it and try to live our lives as normally as is possible... whatever normal is!

What do you think of the new travel restrictions? Are they necessary? Are all these anti-terror measures necessary? And do you think they are working?

Hopefully mi nuh get in trouble for using the "restricted words" in this post! But just in case I have published a disclaimer below.

Disclaimer for those who are tracking blogs that have the words terror and terrorist in their posts: Stunner's Afflictions and it's Author does not support terrorist activities or terrorist groups in any way and are totally against such deviant activities and those who carry out such activities.