I carry a lot of gear. Traveling internationally on commercial flights through both Delhi and Kabul makes you think carefully about what you will check and what you will carry on board. My checked baggage included by backpack with all of my clothes, my tripod and by body armor. Three bags, one of which was of over the 50 pound "free" weight limit. Thanks to a Delta employee in Fayetteville, NC on my way home during a trip in August, I learned of a special category that airlines offer for journalists. It offers consideration and reduction in fees since we tend to carry more gear than the average traveler. Continental's journalist category kept my extra bag fee and extra weight fee to a total of $75.00. I paid and headed to the pre-boarding security check.

My evaluation of the risks of what to check and what carry-on lead me to check everything that I could essentially live without if it got lost. That included clothing items, and even my body armor. Replacements for all of that could be arranged fairly easily from Afghanistan. The items I could not risk losing were my laptops, my hard drives, my cameras... essentially all of the gear necessary to do my job. I also knew that carrying all of that would cause issues with security, but their was little alternative.

I had alloted nearly two hours to check in and board. My time at the Continental desk had taken nearly an hour of that. Arriving at the TSA security point, the line was long, but I had little concern that even with what I was carrying... a camera, a small backpack and a Pelican case... that I would have little problem making it to my gate on time. When I was asked to show my passport and boarding pass, the TSA attendant noted that the small stub that was to become my receipt on the boarding pass was missing. Somehow, between the ticket counter and his station, it had torn off. I was not allowed to proceed and told to return to the Continental desk to have my boarding pass re-issued. Though the flight had not left, and the airline was more than capable of re-issuing the pass at the gate, his word was final and I my attempts to dissuade him rejected.

After having the pass re-issued while the ticket agent expressed her frustration with TSA's ruling, I returned to the security screening line that had now doubled in size. Time was now becoming an issue as my two hour window was now reduced to fourty-five minutes. This time my paperwork met approval and I was allowed to move forward towards security screening.

Like I said, I had a lot of equipment with me, and I knew it was going to require a bit of extra screening. I removed my shoes, my two laptops, my two cameras, my watch, my belt, my cell phone and my hat. I approached the screening booth as my bags began their journey on the conveyor belt for scanning. As I entered the booth, the alarm sounded. I was asked to check my pockets, Nothing. I entered again, and the alarm sounded again. Then I remembered the knee brace I was wearing. The TSA attendant listened to my explanation as he pulled me aside for a personal search. At the same time all of my bags became suspect, as they and myself were pulled aside with two TSA attendants placed with me to conduct a thorough inspection of everything I had, including me.

We have disallowed racial profiling. We have accepted the process of TSA searches as a better assurance to our safety. Without doubt we all have felt a greater peace of mind since 9-11, though the effectiveness of TSA cannot be fully proven. But we have also accepted that in spite of the fact that nearly every terrorist profile we are given in this day in age finds a root in Muslim and Middle Eastern culture, we have allowed the security screening process to function so that everyone is considered a potential threat and a potential terrorist. As I watched my bags being rescanned for the third time, and had myself patted down and my pants pulled up to expose the knee brace, the TSA inspector looked at me and said, "I hope you understand, we are on your side." I shook my head and replied," No, we are on opposite sides. You cannot racial profile, so you must hold in suspect every citizen of the United States. The greatest irony of all of this, is that I am traveling to Afghanistan, the heart of where all of this began and from which brought about your job." He sighed, and with a near whisper, agreed.

With less than ten minutes remaining before my flight departed, I ran to my gate and boarded the plane.

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