noitallmr:
I usually find that a belt won’t set off the detector, unless the buckle is bigger than usual (and you’re not a cowboy, so I don’t know why it would be :P). As for the shoes, I’m with you. The sad fact is that the only purpose it serves is to make us FEEL safe. It would take a very stupid terrorist to try something like that again. Unfortunately, removing unnecessary security measures is like decriminalizing something – once the restriction is there, nobody wants to take the initiative to reverse course for fear of being labeled soft on crime/security.