I just ran across this via BoingBoing. Mark, one of the editors, had his own run-in with some TSA employees. We had a similar incident of our own on our way back from Maui this past summer.
On the one hand, I can understand this from the point of view that I suppose it’s possible that some terrorists out there who wouldn’t be above using children to forward their cause. However, as Bruce Schneier often points out, security is about trade-offs. Currently, I don’t believe the government and, more specifically, the TSA is making the correct ones. I thought the whole point of the government taking over airline security was to raise the quality of the screeners/security personnel. Judging from the automaton-like behavior of those mentioned in these stories, I don’t think we’ve improved. There’s got to be a better way to handle families with small children, especially, mothers travelling alone with multiple children.
As for the childless travellers who give those of us with small kids attitude, I take great delight in pointing my children directly at that person during flight and making their life as much of a living hell as possible. The majority of people are civil and even helpful, but I’ve got no sympathy for impatient, “holier-than-thou”, childless assholes.