In Dune Frank Herbert wrote, “fear is the mind killer.” Humans are designed to fear; it is a good evolutionary trait that kept us alive and away from velociraptors. However, it is reactionary and comes with the cost of loss of prescience. I would go so far at to surmise that Americans like to fear. Reacting carnally is easy and we have learned that anything easier must be better.

This op-ed concisely summarizes my thoughts regarding the new TSA security regulations. How have we become so wholly accustomed to fear that we are willing to sacrifice the very principles upon which the country was founded?

One could go all alien conspiracy up at that shit and claim the government is intentionally causing schools to stop teaching Math well thereby robbing the ability of the people to rationally compute threat percentages. Unfortunately, the truth is probably a magnitude more depressing. We are lazy. Why confront a fear when someone else can do it for you?

The next time you find yourself in a body scanner, pee-pee exposed to drooling, back-room attendants, ask yourself what you fear more: imagined death or being treated like livestock. Don’t worry if terrorists start smuggling using methods the scanners cannot detect. The TSA will start employing these soon enough.