From the August 2006 Idaho Observer:

MI5 foils liquid terror plot at Heathrow

TSA immediately bans liquid carryons

There is no shortage of evidence linking spook organizations like MI5 to global contraband trafficking and political assassinations and other forms of criminal intrigue. Therefore, to actually catch criminals with just good police work is really outside their organizational character and function. It is, however, in keeping with its global duties, to set the Heathrow plot up so that it could be discovered as a means to accomplish political ends.

If it turns out that MI5 "foiled" a dastardly plot and saved countless lives, we will make a public apology. But the fact that the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Safety Department were able to jump up, within hours of the August 10, 2006 discovery to begin enforcing a liquid and gel ban—with signs at the ready—assures us that a public apology will not be necessary. This was planned and the desired outcome is now TSA boarding policy for domestic and international travelers.

The move, perhaps the most absurd move since creating a policy to protect against tennis shoe bombers by forcing everyone to take their shoes off before going though airport security, was not very well thought out—unless Americans are ready to accept that they no longer have the right to feed and water themselves.

In an effort to determine whether or not the TSA has provisions for people who are allergic to fluoride and other toxic chemicals commonly found in bottled water—and allergies to MSG and other toxic chemicals found in airplane food, IO editor Don Harkins sent an email to TSA August 11. Since Harkins will soon be spending 20 hours on an airplane, he wanted to know if TSA prefers that he starve and dehydrate or if he could prearrange an exemption from the ban.

Though TSA has acknowledged receipt of the query, no answer has yet been forwarded.

An MSNBC poll showed that 54 percent of airplane passengers believe the ban is absurd while about 26 percent appear to be content to let the TSA strip them naked, give them a cavity search, wrap them in plastic and stack them in the cargo hold if it will prevent terrorists from blowing up planes with water bottles, tennis shoes and boxcutters.