Scanned And Felt Up

Coming home from San Francisco last night I finally had my first trip through one of them there full body scanners, after which I got the complete junk inspection from an elderly TSA agent who looked startlingly like Morgan Freeman. The agent was as pleasant as can be, considering, and I was surprised at how nonchalant I felt while being felt up by a septuagenarian in the middle of a busy airport. The whole thing is a ridiculous and probably ineffective exercise, to be sure, but I really can't see the point of cursing out the miserable agents, as the woman behind me did at great length. Complain to the people who can actually make changes, folks.

Pointless, Abused, Faked Terrorism Threat Level System To Be Abolished

Remember in 2009 when former Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge confessed that he'd been pressured to raise the terrorism threat level in order to help Dubya's 2004 campaign? And how that totally worked? Today Homeland Security announced that they are doing away with the color-coded system, effective in March. The new system will only announce known threats to specific locations, so they say.

RUSSIA: Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens, Injures Over 100 At Moscow Airport

A reported suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport today has killed dozens and left more than 100 injured.

Russian news agencies, citing witnesses, said airport halls were filled with smoke, so much so that it was difficult to count the number of dead. International arrivals were being diverted to nearby, according to local media reports. The explosion occurred at 4:32 p.m. local time, according to RT television. The airport, southeast of the capital, is Russia’s largest hub for international travelers, with more than 20 million passengers passing through last year.

CNN is currently reporting the death toll at 31. The bomb is said to have gone off in the international arrivals baggage claim area, which is unsecured.