Zoo Station

The roguest of all rogue economists, Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics, got into a spot of bother with the TSA while changing his flight to one that actually left on time. His current topic of research did not help him any.

Of course, the last minute purchase of a one-way ticket sets off the lights and buzzers for the TSA. So, I'm pulled out of the line and searched. First the full-body search. Then the luggage. It didn't occur to me that my latest research was going to get me into trouble. I've been thinking a lot about terrorism lately. Among the things I had in my carry-on was a detailed description of the 9/11 terrorists activities, replete with pictures of each of the terrorists and information about their background. As well as pages of my scribblings on terrorist incentives, potential targets, etc. It also was the first thing the screener pulled out of my bag. The previously cheery mood turned dark. Four TSA employees suddenly surrounded me. They didn't seem very impressed with my explanation. When the boss arrived, one of the screener says, "He claims to be an economics professor who studies terrorism."

Thankfully, it all worked out in the end.

Finally satisfied that I was playing for the home team, he allowed me to board a plane to Chicago. Thank God I left my copy of the terrorist handbook that I blogged about on June 9th at home, or I would have instead been flying straight to Cuba.