SO WHEN we go to the airport we need to take off our shoes and belts. Then we have to spread-eagle in the full body scanner. Now we have to tell Transportation Security Administration officers where we are going and how long we have been wherever we have been before coming to the airport (“Fliers face new queries at Logan,’’ Page A1, Aug. 2).
We have to answer these questions without sweating or avoiding eye contact or appearing nervous or not totally truthful. And of course we must never wear a warm coat in the middle of summer (that’s a mistake that someone planning on blowing something up often makes). For any of these behaviors can lead to a special examination in a separate room where you must stay calm as your plane takes off without you. And all of this is very scientific because, as we all know, showing anxiety toward law enforcement or, worse yet, having an attitude, is a sure sign that you are a potential terrorist.
I can hardly wait to see what comes next, as it seems that Americans are perfectly happy to put up with anything.
Paul Shannon
Somerville 
