'TSA Booty Up For Grabs on eBay'

Mary Katharine Ham | September 06, 2006 7:20 PM

Oh, yeah. Where do I bid?

Only ABC could make a TSA story so sexy. It's interesting, but not as hot as the headline makes it sound:

Knives, scissors and other items that were "voluntarily surrendered" at checkpoints in airports throughout the Northeast are being auctioned online by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services.

The state has raised over $300,000 since it began selling no-fly surplus online in June of 2004.

I like it as an alternative to tax hikes. There's some advanced marketing behind the effort, too:

Pennsylvania will be auctioning off a "hunting kit" this fall for hunting season in an effort to better market the no-fly surplus. The kit will be equipped with knives, ropes and flashlights, according to Myslewicz.

At hockey season, they will be assembling a "hockey kit" for sale on the web. Other items include furry handcuffs, a sausage grinder and a six-foot electric palm tree.

TSA booty. Get it while you can.