3 ms·

I tend to apply some expectation on him as well as the TSA. He knows they might think he's fasting. Say: I ran out the door and didn't have a chance to get bre

I tend to apply some expectation on him as well as the TSA. He knows they might think he's fasting. Say: I ran out the door and didn't have a chance to get breakfast. I'm pretty hungry. He knows that they might be suspicious of religiosity. Explain the details of your trip. Yes he doesn't have to and it should have been easier for him, but use some common sense. It's the same reason that when you're pulled over for speeding 5 over you don't refuse to answer any questions. You try to be polite and hope the officer will let you off with a warning. The likely outcome is better.

mistercow 13y ago
But fasting because you're religious isn't illegal, and it shouldn't be grounds for suspicion of terrorism. There is a big difference between being polite to a cop after breaking the law, and trying not to offend the bigoted sensibilities of when you're totally innocent. Blaming the author for the completely innocent and honest answers he gave is rather similar to blaming a rape victim for wearing revealing clothing. And it seems to me that he did use common sense. He knew from experience that people didn't really understand the deal with his 7 week family sabbaticals, so he tried to keep it simple. And you certainly can't expect a person placed in a stressful and unfamiliar situation to give perfectly tuned responses to optimize their outcome.