DHS has started issuing fines to people caught with “dangerous objects” at security checkpoints.

“The TSA guildelines call for going easy on passengers who inadvertantly bring something like a pair of cuticle scissors or a cigarette lighter through security. The goal is to stop someone from committing a criminal act.” (Spelling and typos in the original… only the finest in reporting.)

I got stopped earlier this year for a corkscrew that had fallen into the lining of my travel bag on a trip in 2002 — and which notably had passed through security numerous times since. We had to cut open the bag to get it out. What’s that going to cost me? Am I dangerous?