How about a pre-flight colonoscopy?

Being an lover of the absurd, I was delighted to come across the following contest / challenge, now in its second year.

We all know that a good plot to blow up an airplane will cause the banning, or at least screening, of something innocuous. If you stop and think about it, it’s a stupid response. We screened for guns and bombs, so the terrorists used box cutters. We took away box cutters and small knives, so they hid explosives in their shoes. We started screening shoes, so they planned to use liquids. We now confiscate liquids (even though experts agree the plot was implausible)…and they’re going to do something else. We can’t win this game, so why are we playing?

Well, we are playing. And now you can, too. Your goal: invent a terrorist plot to hijack or blow up an airplane with a commonly carried item as a key component. The component should be so critical to the plot that the TSA will have no choice but to ban the item once the plot is uncovered. I want to see a plot horrific and ridiculous, but just plausible enough to take seriously.

Make the TSA ban wristwatches. Or laptop computers. Or polyester. Or zippers over three inches long. You get the idea.

Your entry will be judged on the common item that the TSA has no choice but to ban, as well as the cleverness of the plot. It has to be realistic; no science fiction, please. And the write-up is critical; last year the best entries were the most entertaining to read.

As before, assume an attacker profile on the order of 9/11: 20 to 30 unskilled people, and about $500,000 with which to buy skills, equipment, etc.

Click on over to Schneier on Security, read the entries and add your own.  If the government won’t respond to practical common sense, perhaps we can shame them into making airports realistically secure by presenting them with examples of the ridiculous situations the current policies can produce.  If you’re a writer, the premise makes for a fun starting point for your short story.

[tags]Bruce Schneier, security, airports, bans, contest[/tags]