Has the idea of anything goes for the sake of national security gone too far?

Items such as art, high-tech equipment and food have almost always been passed over by airline screeners because of the difficulty of searching for any explosives in the packages. Not anymore. Shippers now will have to contend with the poking and prodding noses of the TSA “experts”.

Since the new “security” measure became know last years, several large museums like the MOMA and the Getty have enrolled in a governmental program that permits them to create secure screening facilities in their own buildings. In these facilities, the institutions inspect the art, crate it and then mark it with special seals and tape that will “minimize” the likelihood that the TSA people will re-screen the items. Some large art-shipping companies have also become certified to screen and pack the art works themselves. Again though, this would only “minimize”the likelihood of a search.

So what happens if you have a priceless art work, properly packed in special protective foam, nestled in a sturdy wooden box and the art work sets off an explosive swab test? Well, the TSA “expert” will pry open the crate, unpack theart, give it a once over and then try to repack it and send it on its way. We’ve all been at the screening line of an airport after 9-11. There is nothing “gentle,”or “conscious” about the way that the screeners handle our property. That pesky screwdriver used to pry open the wooden box might inadvertently slip and tear a hole in an art canvas. With one fell swoop, the priceless art work might be reduced to shambles.

And so, who is responsible if say, an ancient Greek urn is shattered because the TSA expert re-packed it carelessly? Is it the TSA? The insurance company? The owner? One thing is certain, insurance premiums are sure to skyrocket as will lawsuits from art owners suing their insurance carriers for these “non-coverable”events.  

One final thought: it seems to me that the art work is now open to more probability of being stolen and at risk of foul-play because of the involvement of too many people in the shipping process. Even if one could control the shipping process, one cannot control human proclivities and the constant opportunity for a quick profit by turning a blind eye. Too many cooks in the kitchen is always a recipe for disaster.