Book lovers beat security theatre, again

Due to some recent terrorist activity, there were security measures announced on December 28 by Tranport Canada that further restricted what airline passengers could bring on flights. Somebody didn’t think through the restrictions very well and it appeared, briefly, that books and magazines might be barred from flights. As Carolyn Wood, executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers, commented about these measures in a Globe & Mail article:  “We’re used to governments fearing books for their content. But what is it here? Is it their explosive capability?” Quite right. Indeed, it reminds me of a certain haunting quote by one of the 20th century’s most brutual dictators, Joseph Stalin, “Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?”  Happily, the inadvertent ban was reported on January 5 but it was reversed by January 6; Books permitted on U.S, bound planes.

These kind of poorly thought out security measures really annoy me. I’m doubly irritated in this instance because this has happened before. In 2006, there were security measures introduced in the UK that restricted carry on luggage and that included books. Based on some quick research with the Google News Archive, this really came to a head in August 2006. However, the restrictions have since been done away with. It puzzles me why these restrictions are put in place only to be done away with shortly afterwards. It would appear that history, even very recent history, is not learned in air security circles. Books are not a security threat, leave them alone already!

Some of the other reactions to the December 2009 air travel restrictions take a different approach. A Canadian author, Mary Soderstrom, protested the measures which restricted books but allowed all manner of IT devices by starting a Facebook protest group. The group is called: Stop Dumbing Down: Allow Books on Airplanes. In the US, there has been intense criticism about the measures on Twitter. Here are three particularly good reactions: No books in flight; Reading is dangerous to national security; Protecting you so much you never want to travel ever again and; TSA: Theatrical Security Association. The last quote hits on the idea that these security measures create the illusion of security but likely do little but waste money and time.

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