Have you actually parsed out the purpose and effects of this ban? Because I think it brings the charade of "Security Theater" to a new level of absurdity.
The US is banning the carrying of laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices in the passenger compartment of flights originating from a handful of Middle Eastern countries.
Presumably, the ban on electronic devices is to preclude the carrying of a bomb or other form of explosive device on the airplane. And, for whatever reason, the US Government is saying that security arrangements in these Middle Eastern countries are insufficiently stringent to preclude this happening.
Now, a bomb on an aircraft is a pretty terrible thing. If the bomb goes off, the plane will explode mid-air and all aboard will perish.
A tragedy - absolutely. But the death toll will almost certainly be limited to those onboard the aircraft.
But if your purpose is to blow up an airplane, killing all aboard - what difference does it make if you were to place your bomb in checked luggage, with a time set to go off X number of hours after departure, versus carrying your bomb with you, and detonating at a moment of your choosing?
Or does the Trump Administration imagine that would-be terrorists are going to board a plane bound for Washington, DC, with an iPad or Macbook packed with C4. They will wait until the precise moment when the aircraft is inbound for Reagan National airport, at which point they detonate the bomb, blowing the aircraft to smithereens, and the falling debris manages to land in such a way to destroy some vital symbol of US national imperialism?
That scenario seems implausible, shall we say.
And while a phone may be smaller than a tablet, etc., thus a smaller bomb, the terrorists will just send six people on the flight instead of one person.
