Temporary stupidity or permanent insanity?

I've heard it said you can't fix stupid. That saying implies that stupid is a permanent state. For some it is. But, in my own defense, sometimes stupid can be just a temporary condition brought about from a lapse in judgement or simple absent mindedness.

For the past year or so, Mrs. Bald Man has been my chauffeur to the airport. Her willingness to drive me has meant we can remain a one car family (frugal and so good for the planet. Aren't you proud of us?) and my company saves parking expenses. Unfortunately, she is out of town herself this week so I had to drive myself to catch a plane for a day trip to our Nevada office. I found the airport without too many missed turns and was able to park the car and proceeded to the security line without incident.

It seemed to be my day to be singled out by the TSA. I had a batch of DVDs and CDs in my carry on so I fully expected the extra attention. What I didn't envision was the very thorough examination of my bag. It turns out I, without thinking, grabbed the Jeep key ring on which we keep a small pen knife. Of course, this weapon of mass destruction was confiscated. Stupid me for not paying attention to what I placed in my bag.

What makes this incident blog worthy is the fact that most every other week, I have a garment bag and bathroom kit. In this kit is a pair of scissors. These scissors are within the four inch blade length allowed by TSA standards.

Let's recap:
Mini, less than two inch knife: Banned
Regular four inch scissor blade: OK

Somewhere in our Nation's capitol is a person or persons sitting in a conference room making decisions that affect our safety and whether or not a Tea Party attendee is a terrorist. I don't know about you but examples like this don't fill me with much confidence.

S2