I'm still at the airport.

[Ranec]

I haven't gotten very far even though I've been at this traveling thing for over 13 hours now.

As I was repacking my carry-on bag in front of the counter this morning, one of those intrepid local reporters came up to interview me. I guess I looked like a good "distressed traveler" for the morning news. He asked me if I thought this was all an over-reaction and I said, "Well, if they caught people in the middle of a terrorist plot I guess they have to do it. Though I doubt anyone is going to be able to bring down a plane with a tube of chapstick." Then immediately afterward I thought I was being too hard on the security people. There could be a real threat out there somewhere.

Now that I've seen the reports of the tawdry political games the government is playing, well now I'm a bit pissed.
:mad: :mad:

The disruption this has caused for thousands and thousands is immense. The money the airlines will lose will continue to be a drag on the economy. This government continues to destroy this country little by little each day. Today, it was more than just a little.

Well, there is still a chance I'll get home tonight. Wish me luck.

[IChing]

1. good luck and thanks for the update

Yes, they are good at destroying things are they not?

What have they built that works?

[Ranec]

4. Thanks

Destruction is certainly their specialty.

[flamingyouth]

2. Ugh, that sucks

Good luck to you. I can't imagine how frustrating that must be. :(

[Ranec]

5. Thanks, it is totally frustrating and exhausting.

I'm just glad I finally got home.

[rug]

3. Chapped lips are a small price to pay in the War on Terror.

:patriot:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

6. Did you see the movie Terminal with Tom Hanks?

He's religated to living in the Airport terminal? I would imagine many are feeling that way by now.

[Ranec]

8. I had the same thought.

I met a family that was debating whether to take the airlines offer of a motel room for the night, or just sleeping in the airport. We were all so traumatized by the chaos and frustration of going through security that people wouldn't go through it again. They would rather sleep on the floor at the gate rather than stand in the cattle lines for another 3 hours.

Then again, a passenger who had started at a different airport told me, "It wasn't so bad."

[Ranec]

7. Thanks to your good thoughts my lucked changed.

And I was able to get on the last flight home. I finally got in at midnight, only 8 hours late.

The funny thing was even with all the heightened security, I saw one person putting on mascara on the plane and another putting on lipstick in line to board. The people at the gate had little interest in enforcing the rules. They just wanted to get home like the rest of us.

I think they were widely varying levels of strictness depending on which airport you were flying out of, and the panic level probably decreased over the day.