There You Stand Without Your Papers, Expecting To Fly

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals told John Gilmore (while rejecting his appeal recently on his airport I.D. requirement challenge) that, according to the TSA, all you have to do to fly anonymously in the U.S. of Archie is to submit to secondary screening. Now "The Identity Project" is seeking citizen volunteers to see if there is any truth to that: they want you to just try and get on a plane without I.D, and tell 'em what happens.

Feel free to bring a copy of the 9th Circuit decision to show your friendly screener the legal facts.

My original feature on the beginnings of Gilmore's long and so far failed legal battle to fly anonymously was Reason's cover story back in Aug-Sept. 2003, and the launching of his appeal was discussed, and celebrated, by me here in August 2004. And see here for a bunch of links to the Reason Foundation's Robert Poole's advocacy and arguments for privatizing the TSA airport screening functions, and also check out Reason's December 2004 rugged debate between Poole and Jim Harper on a variety of issues surrounding airline security and the government's role in it.