Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday she could see a future where air travelers do not have to remove their shoes at security checkpoints. However, the technology to scan shoe-wearing passengers for bombs does not exist yet and may not be available in the near future, Napolitano said.The thing is, in Europe you don't have to take your shoes off at airport security. Not in Paris. Not in Amsterdam. Not in Stockholm.
Why?
It's not that the Europeans are more slack on security than we are. So what is it?
I'm not one who complains much about airport security. If there's even a slim chance that taking off my shoes will help me not blow up at 40,000 feet, then I'm game.
What I don't like, however, is being told by US officials that there's no way to ensure our safety without the TSA making us take off our shoes pre-flight, when in Europe they seem to be doing just fine. It feels like we're not getting the whole truth, and that bothers me.
It also doesn't do much for TSA's already tepid credibility with the public.
