Part And Parcel Of The TSA Panic That We're All Potential Terrorists -- And Never Mind Actually Effective Probable Cause-Driven Policing
Completely idiotic.

Apparently, somebody of "Middle Eastern descent," as several passengers on a plane identified them, was -- gasp! -- watching the news on a smartphone.

When another passenger noticed this, what was there to do but sound the alarm -- report them to the authorities as probable terrorists?

Now, the Balt Sun report by Jessica Anderson and Colin Campbell does have this bit -- about how everything supposedly "added up" to cause concern:

"Everything added up to create a situation where she felt concerned," [Maryland Transportation Authority spokesdude Jonathan] Green said of the witness. "Everything was done in the interest of safety."

I have my suspicions on that (about actually meaningful stuff being reported) since there's none of that reported in the story. More from it:

Spirit Flight 969 was taxiing before takeoff when the passenger alerted a flight attendant, Spirit Airlines said.

"Out of an abundance of caution, the plane returned to the gate," the airline said.

Officers removed three men and a woman from the flight, Green said. He said those passengers included a married couple, who were traveling with a family member, and a male passenger sitting near them.

Now, just a guess on my part, but I think it isn't just the Paris attacks leading to thinking like this -- the idiotic notion that looking "Middle Eastern" and using a smartphone are cause for concern.

I strongly believe the fact that the TSA treats every single person who flies to see Granny (or is a blind, Alzeheimer's-stricken granny) as a possible threat contributes to this kind of ridiculous thinking.

What would serve us is not having a gazillion repurposed Cinnabon workers in pretend cop suits groping our genitals at airports, but focused policing -- probable cause-based policing -- by highly-trained intelligence officers.

The ridiculous chortling by the TSA's social media turd every time some tired Texan forgets to unpack his gun from his laptop bag is just more security theater. This is profiling weapons rather than people. A gun will not bring down a plane. Not even a person who uses the gun on the plane will.

Oh, and mass surveillance (and other chippings away at our civil liberties) isn't the answer -- any more than mass searches are.