Jack Cafferty has an excellent question about mundane details:

[originalpckelly]

4 p.m.: Should people have to give the government more personal information, like birthdates and gender, when buying airplane tickets?

While the information being requested is by no means that probing, it will be used to conduct probing background checks. It is the modern day equivalent of being asked for one's papers before boarding an airplane.

Welcome to the USSA.

[PDJane]

1. Fascism Lite.

And it is, I think, too late to fix.

[AlCzervik]

2. i find it hard to believe they don't have that info already.

i always fly on United and i have a ff account.

[originalpckelly]

3. The major problem is that these simple details will be used to do a background check...

that's why it's important. It's a very sly way to ask for our papers while asking for unassuming details.

[AlCzervik]

4. i totally get what you're saying but i think this process has been well under way

for a long time. when was the last time you didn't have to show an id at the airport? so the only somewhat new thing is that they want the info before instead of getting it after.