KICK BACKS

Okay . . . I know the rules. Nothing over 3 ounces. Everything must fit in one (1) quart size terrorist-proof plastic baggy. Take your shoes off. Take your belt off. Take your coat off. Empty your pockets. Have your I.D. ready.

My plane left Bozeman at 7:21 a.m. Tuesday morning. I left home at just after 5 a.m. I went through security. I forgot my terrorist-proof plastic baggy. My fault, I'm not complaining. I managed to get through with just a minor scolding.

HOWEVER . . . I also took the left over pizza and one (1) 8.5 oz. bottle of orange juice which I had purchased from the grocery store.

The unopened, factory-sealed o.j. was confiscated. Couldn't take it through. Too much liquid. Because, you know . . . I might hit the stewardess over the head with the plastic bottle, throw the orange juice against the window and wait for the acidic content of the juice to burn a hole in the side of the plane thereby causing a huge disaster. Yeah, that's it ... a plane crash with 40 people on board in the vast metropolis of South Dakota.

So anyway . . . they took my orange juice because "you can't take that much liquid with you."

EXCEPT . . . it's perfectly fine to purchase an 8.5 oz bottle of orange juice at the snack stand for $5/bottle (or whatever outrageous price they are charging you) and take it on the plane.

Inquiring Minds want to know . . . is TSA screening each and every bottle, can or other container of large quantities of worrisome liquid that goes to the snack stand? Can we really be sure there's not some sort of inside job that prevents disgruntled Starbucks workers from injecting their latte grandes with explosive coffee beans? And more importantly, what kind of financial kick back is the TSA getting from the airport snack stands on their over priced liquids?