This image was lost some time after publication.

Now you can get the fun of endless security lines and invasive security checks, without schlepping all the way to the airport:

Police will begin conducting random searches of packages and backpacks carried by people entering city subways, Mayor Bloomberg announced Thursday after a new series of bomb attacks in London.

Authorities said the system for the checks is still being developed, but the plan is for passengers carrying bags to be selected at random before they have passed through turnstiles.

We whine, but, in truth, such measures are necessary when there are terrorists out there who want to do us harm. This plan will enable the NYPD to stop and catch those bad guys.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly promised that officers would not engage in racial profiling, and that passengers will be free to "turn around and leave" rather than consent to a search.

Or, at least, to stop and catch the really, really, really stupid bad guys.

Cops to Check Bags in NY Subways [AP via NYDN]