Speak of the Devil: Rise of the Food Police

It is rapidly approaching the point where governments will start using "South Park" as a think-tank to come up with new policies, regulations, and legislation -- if we are not there already.

From back in September of 2011:  In New Zealand, a new law would make, possibly, even the selling of seeds illegal.  No, not marijuana seeds, regular ol' beans and tomato seeds and radish seeds and watermelon seeds.  Read the article from the Timaru Herald here.  Even the name of the bill is ominous -- the Food Bill.  Be sure and read the comments.

The officials say that the bill is aimed at commercial operations, strictly, that it will have no impact on community gardens or farmers' markets. This is what officials always say.  It is a requirement for being an official.  It might even be true in this case.  I do not know.

Because, you know, officials NEVER expand the interpretation of regulations.

That's right.  The TSA would not allow a girl's purse as carry-on because it had a "replica gun" on the flap.  It is a raised design, so in effect, the TSA interpreted "replica gun" to mean a picture of a gun.  Obviously the rule was aimed at non-firing weapons that could be used to run a bluff and take over an aircraft, which, if you are going to disarm the flying sheep, is not too bad an idea.  (My idea is to hand passengers a loaded shotgun as they board so that nobody has to worry about the plane being taken over by a 90-year-old white female terrorist with toenail clippers stashed in her Depends.)  But, as bureaucracies are apt to do, the officials pushed something -- however stupid, that could arguably make vague and marginal sense completely into the bizarre and surreal.

Quoting from the article, the TSA stands its ground:

TSA isn't budging on the handbag, arguing the phony gun could be considered a "replica weapon." The TSA says "replica weapons have [been] prohibited since 2002."

Well, sure it could be mistaken for a replica weapon, if you are less than two years old and/or have an IQ less than your shoe size.  But it could not, by anybody I have ever met, be mistaken for a real weapon -- which is the point of the stupid regulation.

OK, I will admit that I have not met a TSA agent as far as I know.

The victim responds: 

"Common sense," she said. "It's a purse, not a weapon."

 Sorry, little sister, common sense ain't so common.