Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Real Reason the TSA Finally Ended the Shoe Rule
Townhall.com ^ | 16 July A.D. 2025 | Jacub Scullum

Posted on 07/16/2025 12:09:23 AM PDT by lightman

The Transportation Security Administration did not officially start requiring travelers to take off their shoes at the airport until August 2006. That was nearly five years after Richard Reid unsuccessfully tried to ignite explosives in his sneakers on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.

The fear of Reid copycats was the ostensible justification for the TSA's seemingly belated shoe rule, which the agency finally ditched last week, nearly two decades after adopting it. The longevity of that widely resented and ridiculed policy, which the U.S. was nearly alone in enforcing, illustrates the ratchet effect at work in security theater: Even the most dubious safeguards tend to stick around because eliminating them looks like a compromise that might endanger public safety.

"We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last week. "Thanks to our cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach, we are confident we can implement this change while maintaining the highest security standards."

That sounded like the fulfillment of a prediction that Janet Napolitano, one of Noem's predecessors, made back in 2011. Napolitano said she expected the shoe removal policy would be phased out "in the months and years ahead" as a result of new screening technology.

A decade later, Axios reported that Napolitano's prophecy was finally coming true, thanks to floor-embedded electromagnetic shoe scanners developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and licensed to Liberty Defense Holdings. Axios said the company planned to start installing its machines at airports "in about 18 months." Recommended JD Vance Breaks Tie in Key Rescissions Package Vote in Senate After These Three Republicans Betrayed Us Matt Vespa

That estimate proved to be overly optimistic. Last March, Secret NYC reported that the Department of Homeland Security expected to "begin planning an airport shoe scanner demonstration" in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026 and start testing the machines in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027.

Noem's reference to "cutting-edge technological advancements," in other words, seems like a red herring. Likewise her invocation of the TSA's "multi-layered security approach," which has been in effect for many years.

Noem evidently felt constrained to glide over the truth: The TSA's shoe rule never made much sense. That is pretty clear from the fact that airports in other countries, including those overseen by highly security-conscious governments such as Israel's, generally did not copy the American example.

Nearly fourteen years ago, The Washington Post noted that "there hasn't been another shoe bomb attempt" since Reid's fiasco. It added that "aviation security experts question whether shoe removal is necessary."

One of those experts was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Yossi Sheffi, who was born in Israel. "You don't take your shoes off anywhere but in the U.S. -- not in Israel, in Amsterdam, in London," he told the Post. "We all know why we do it here, but this seems to be a make-everybody-feel-good thing rather than a necessity."

John Pistole, then head of the TSA, cited survey data indicating that "shoe removal was second only to the high price of tickets in passenger complaints." He nevertheless defended the policy.

"We have had over 5.5 (billion) people travel since Richard Reid," Pistole said, "and there have been no shoe bombs because we have people take their shoes off." His reasoning was reminiscent of an argument between two Muppets on "Sesame Street."

When Bert asks Ernie why he has a banana in his ear, Ernie replies that "I use this banana to keep the alligators away." An exasperated Bert notes that "there are no alligators on Sesame Street!" That fact, Ernie argues, proves his safeguard is "doing a good job."

After Noem announced that the TSA was finally putting down its banana, George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan calculated, based on conservative assumptions, that the shoe rule had consumed "almost 30,000 years of life" in the United States. By that measure, Caplan suggested, Reid, despite his ineptitude, qualified as the "most successful" anti-American terrorist ever.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: flying; humiliation; screening; shoeremoval; tardoboyyoits; travel; tsa
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-72 next last
"We all know why we do it here, but this seems to be a make-everybody-feel-good thing rather than a necessity."

NO!

It was all a greenie-weenie make air travel undesirable exercise in tyrannical humiliation.

1 posted on 07/16/2025 12:09:23 AM PDT by lightman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: lightman

Imstopped flying after november 2001. Havent lost a second with the Tough Sh1t Assholes.


2 posted on 07/16/2025 12:21:41 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

You stay home all the time?


3 posted on 07/16/2025 12:31:04 AM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: lightman
Wear mask...stay 6 ft away....line up for your shot...don't go out....No you can't visit your mother in the nursing home...keep your kids out of school.

None of these things were right in any way.

4 posted on 07/16/2025 12:31:45 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

Weird article.

Never paid off on the tease.

TSA itself should be phased out.


5 posted on 07/16/2025 12:31:55 AM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

The whole thing stunk to high heaven.


6 posted on 07/16/2025 12:32:25 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

The smell?


7 posted on 07/16/2025 1:16:05 AM PDT by exnavy (See article IV section 4 of our constitution.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

TSA and/or security of different types, tends to be reactive.


8 posted on 07/16/2025 1:54:49 AM PDT by HollyB
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

I would go stomp around in my chicken coop prior to heading to the airport, and tell the Shoe Checker as much. My small insignificant protest that, at least, amused me.


9 posted on 07/16/2025 1:55:05 AM PDT by sockmonkey (Conservative. Not a Neocon.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

It’s called an illuminati / satanic humiliation ritual.


10 posted on 07/16/2025 1:57:37 AM PDT by pops88 ( Helping usher the glory of God into Las Vegas)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

My reason...disease vector.


11 posted on 07/16/2025 1:57:52 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman
Now what about belts?

-PJ

12 posted on 07/16/2025 2:09:54 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

The way to stop attacks on aircraft is to let the countries behind it know that any attack would unleash the US military and they would target the leaders of those countries.

Trump only had the Iranian nuclear sites attacked when he should have also attacked the Iranian leaders. THAT would stop all future attacks and sent a warning to anyone else like the other mideast countries and North Korea etc.


13 posted on 07/16/2025 2:13:20 AM PDT by minnesota_bound (Making money now. Still want much more.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau
The whole thing stunk to high heaven.

Fritos in fact.

14 posted on 07/16/2025 2:36:56 AM PDT by Sirius Lee ("Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: lightman

An early Clowsrd-Piven-type measure similar in it’s deliberate futility to the CIVID-era six-foot distancing rule.

That later measure having been spitefully designed solely to foment hatred for one’s fellow man.


15 posted on 07/16/2025 2:46:51 AM PDT by one guy in new jersey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

Been over 75 for over 10 years and we old bombers could keep our shoes on.


16 posted on 07/16/2025 2:47:29 AM PDT by larryjohnson (FReepersonaltrainer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lightman

in other countries, including those overseen by highly security-conscious governments

Ya, that also don’t look for gender and grievance degrees as a prerequisite for their security personnel.


17 posted on 07/16/2025 2:47:57 AM PDT by cuz1961 ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sockmonkey

How delightfully immature. Lol


18 posted on 07/16/2025 2:49:00 AM PDT by one guy in new jersey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: lightman
At the beginning of the Biden illegal alien invasion I was commuting via airline on the 5 am first flight out.

Personally witnessed thousands of illegal aliens over time being ushered through the TSA VIP lines in the dead of night to make it to their free flights all over the country .

They had zero ID, no proof of who they were and many came from countries with terrorist histories.

They were wisked through their own personal security line without any ID check, without taking their shoes and belts off, no emptying pockets no putting their belongings and new government paid for iPhones in a bin, without having their carry on x rayed and they bypassed the nude scanner system.

All the while the rest of us schmucks had to follow all the TSA BS procedures of being hassled at the ID scanner and then following the drill of undressing, taking our shoes, jackets and belts off, emptying pockets ( and god help you if you missed a penney or a scrap of paper ) and dumping all your belongings into bins to be x rayed .

Then going through the process of doing jumping jacks in the nude scanner invariably followed by being patted down by a friendly TSA officer and periodically being pulled out of line for “ enhanced screening procedures” and to have your luggage searched with delays that caused missed flights.

All of this with unscreened, unvetted illegals who were coming from third world countries during Covid.

And having the friendly TSA officer in the enhanced screening section drag their heels to make sure you missed your flight if you pointed out the inconsistency between the treatment given to illegals flying for free and the American paying passengers

It was a fun and interesting 6 months before the Biden Admin stopped all pretense at hiding the illegal flights from in the dead of night and began loading illegals onto every flight they could find because they were flying so many illegals around the country they needed all the airline capacity they could supply.

Virtually EVERY flight was 100% full with 30% of the passengers often being illegal aliens. It was miserable flying

It became pretty obvious that the TSA “safety” procedures had far more to with compliance and government control than flight safety

The TSA needs to be massively reformed if not abolished

It's good to see the Trump Admin adding some much needed rationality to the system

19 posted on 07/16/2025 2:51:09 AM PDT by rdcbn1 (TV )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rdcbn1

At least 95% of the security measures you see in your daily life are designed for nothing more than calming the fears of a U.S. population filled with stunted misfits who are no longer capable of fending for themselves.


20 posted on 07/16/2025 3:01:59 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Although my eyes were open, they might just as well be closed.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-72 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson