In a significant step (no pun intended) in the right direction for individual liberty, people no longer have to take their shoes off in order to board an airplane. This announcement was made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on July 8 and is effective immediately (source here).
“TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they go through our security checkpoint,” said Noem. “We’ve gone back and looked at our security processes, looked at the efficacy of everything we do. We’ve evaluated the equipment that every airport has and are fully confident with the no shoes policy that we still have the security needs in place at every checkpoint.”
This is fantastic news. Some might think that whether or not people have to remove their shoes in order to board an airplane is insignificant, petty, or unimportant. Some might consider it silly, or even stupid, for a person to care about this. But I do care about this development. I think it is important and significant. This is a meaningful victory for individual rights, privacy, and liberty, which has taken place under the Trump administration. Thanks to this change in policy, travelers will have a bit more dignity than they had before. And that is something that everyone should celebrate.