Ralph Nader had his hummus confiscated at the airport and is not happy with the TSA.
TSA Confiscates Ralph Nader’s Hummus And Proves The Liquid Ban Still Makes No Sense
Former presidential candidate and longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader took to social media yesterday to share a rather absurd airport security encounter: the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confiscated his hummus.
“Today, the notoriously picky TSA at Bradley Airport in Connecticut confiscated a container of fresh hummus. ‘Hummus?! Why?’ asked the traveler. ‘Hummus is not a mysterious liquid. It’s a nutritious popular vegetable!’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ was the rejoinder. ‘Either leave the line with it or it goes into the garbage.’
So now add hummus to the list of national security perils. Maybe ground broccoli will be next.
Absurdity reigns!”
He’s right…
Is Hummus A Dangerous Threat To Aviation?
Last I checked, hummus is not a liquid. It’s a spread…mashed chickpeas. Call it whatever you want, but treating it as some sort of aviation security threat is absurd.
And yet, under TSA rules, anything that does not neatly fit into a solid category is treated as a “liquid” or “gel” and subject to the 3.4-ounce limit.
That includes:
- Hummus
- Peanut butter
- Yogurt
- Soft cheeses
Yes, the TSA even has a page for hummus:
As silly as this is, Nader failed to do his homework.
The Liquid Ban Needs To End
The TSA liquid ban dates back to 2006, with the goal being to prevent terrorists from smuggling liquid explosives or components for bombs onboard. Nearly two decades later, we are still throwing away perfectly harmless food at airport checkpoints.
Meanwhile, technology has evolved. Other countries are deploying scanners that can analyze liquids without arbitrary volume limits. And yet in the United States, we are still stuck in a system that treats hummus like a potential weapon.
It’s absurd.
But there is, of course, an irony in all of this. As one observer noted, Nader, who has spent a career advocating for regulation and consumer protection, found himself on the receiving end of the kind of rigid, bureaucratic system that his own philosophy helped shape.
“I’m not sure which is more ridiculous: that Ralph Nader apparently packs a glop of hummus to nosh when flying (who does that?), or the irony that he got pinched by the inflexible, bureaucratic, big-government regulatory state that he and his associates helped create.”
Fair enough.
But that doesn’t make the rule any less ridiculous. You don’t have to agree with Nader on anything else to recognize that confiscating hummus in the name of security is nonsense.
CONCLUSION
The TSA confiscated Ralph Nader’s hummus because it classified it as a liquid, clearly proving how outdated and arbitrary the current rules are.
Nearly 20 years later, the liquid ban has outlived its usefulness. It’s time to end it.
image: truthout.org / CC 2.0
I’ll also agree with him that TSA at BDL is notoriously picky compared to other airports
Still can’t forgive Nader for throwing the 2000 election to Bush, basically. Oh, wait, that was the Supreme Court…
Nader does deserve blame, but not SCOTUS. Full recount would have still given Bush victory.
It still depends, like on which recount standards would be used. For instance, a broad, statewide recount of all undervotes and overvotes could have favored Gore, and yet a recount restricted to specific counties likely would have still resulted in a Bush victory. So, I assume, you favored the specific counties, huh?
Separately, but related: it’s still unsettling that our electoral college system has increasingly allowed a candidate to win the presidency without winning the national popular vote (2000, 2016). Sure, that has mostly favored Republicans, which is even more concerning because that party has become a cult of personality all for one corrupt mad-man. Pretty sure this was not the intention of these systems of government… anyhoo.
I think that’s a fair point about the recount standards. The scope absolutely mattered. Bush v. Gore decision (7–2 on the Equal Protection issue) focused on the lack of a consistent statewide standard. That was the core problem. Different counties were applying different rules, which raises obvious fairness concerns.
Reasonable people can disagree on what a full, uniform recount might have shown. The difficulty is that there was no clear, agreed-upon standard in place to carry one out in a way that both sides would accept. The idea of trying to discern under-votes or over-votes is fraught with error and not tenable. Bush was a very bad POTUS, but he won in 2000 and the election was not stolen from Gore by Bush or the SCOTUS, only by Nader votes…
On the Electoral College, I understand the concern, especially when the popular vote and electoral outcome diverge. At the same time, it is part of the constitutional structure, much like the Senate, which also is not based purely on population. Changing either would require a very high threshold, which makes it unlikely in practice…just like trying to modify the Second Amendment.
I’m not to the point where I favor a national popular vote, but I’d love nothing more than to modify the 2A. It’s simply not going to happen. Pandora’s box has been opened…
Can’t you freeze it get around the liquid ban. Or have the deli put a frozen sticker on the container?
Don’t think so, but maybe worth a shot?
As Maryland states, frozen sauces etc are solids. I’ve brought frozen stew through (separated for inspection as needed) without issue.
Anybody who flies and has an IQ of at least 80 knows peanut butter, hummus, and pudding are in the liquid category. I’m a bit surprised this worthless piece of sh!t is still alive. What idiot believes that rules shouldn’t be applied uniformally?
Frozen they allow. Then you’re a solid. And peanut butter sandwiches are also considered a solid.
OK Boomer!
You don’t come between a man and his hummus. It’s just not done!
Is this an appropriate time for my hummus-Hamas bit?
Of course as long as airports continue to scan with out of date equipment, this sort of thing will continue to happen. It’s time the US got up to date instead of languishing in the third world.
I have had hummus confiscated by the TSA because it is a liquid as long ago as 2014. I also had ground bison confiscated as a liquid. In both cases I was told it would be acceptable if it were frozen.
I’m offering no opinion on whether this is sensible. I have long learned that offering an opinion about DHS actions or policies is not fruitful.
Back in 2013 when flying back home to Australia from Canada my mum had a jar of Cheese Whizz confiscated from her carry on because they said it was a liquid. Considering that it is not available in Australia she was ticked off she couldn’t have it. At least she has since learnt her lesson.
Perhaps someone should take the liquid ban to court (or maybe a politician should campaign on ending it? That alone could lead to a win.)
Come on Ralphy, airplanes pollute. Drive your little electric car.