So I just flew in from Qatar, and boy is my rear tired.

I’ll blog a little bit more about it (yes, Ginger, with pictures), but I just wanted to highlight a little absurdist French farce put on by British Airways for my benefit as I was leaving Qatar.

In addition to the main security screening, we underwent an additional screening with hand-search of carryons for the trip to Bahrain and eventually to London. Fair enough. The sign warning you of bad things in carryons (all of which of mine had passed inspection by the notoriously overprotective Transportation “Security” Agency), but explicitly said that safety razor blades were OK.

So the Qatari security guy picked up my razor blades and nail clippers and showed them to the BA agent, an Englishwoman. She said “No, no, that’s not allowed,” and confiscated them all, giving me a “you poor dear, you should have known bettter” look.

Now, the clippers did have a swing-out nail file, albeit blunt, so I could see how a casual glance (and connections to a secondhand black market in nail clippers) could cause one to confiscate it. However, what did I have offered once getting on to the plane?

A shaving kit complete with the same sort of razors.

Oh, British Airways, you are…a bunch of retards. I mean, seriously, you’re mentally deficient. You really have to work to be stupider than Tom Ridge and the TSA morons, but really, you’ve outdone yourself.

I guess inbreeding has its consequences, eh, Queenie?