Most of you can remember what life was like in America before what has simply come to be called 9/11. And while we have become accustomed to living under a constant threat of terrorism, our lives are different since that infamous day. Nowhere is this more evident than at an airport. Long lines at security check points have become common place. After spending hours packing our suitcase, we now spend another hour unpacking it for intolerant people in TSA uniforms. “Take your lap top out of your bag…remove your shoes and jacket…take everything out of your pockets…have you boarding pass in your hand…etc.” You do meet a lot of new and exciting people as you put yourself back together on the other side of the conveyer belt!

Recently in Los Angeles, as I was approaching my opportunity to place all of my dangerous possessions into a plastic container, a lady in front of me called one of the security people over to where she was standing. As the TSA official approached this lady in her twenties, she reached into her purse and pulled out a metal contraption that had every kind of gadget you could imagine. It was something only a woman would think to have with her! It had a knife, a finger nail file, scissors, a screw driver,and a cork screw. I was thinking, “If our soldiers had had these things in Vietnam, history might have been different!”

The lady handed the “gadget” to the agent willingly and said, “Here, I know this won’t be allowed on the plane, please dispose of it for me.” The man looked at her rather quizzically realizing that this item was probably quite valuable. He kindly asked if she wouldn’t like to “check” it with her luggage. She said, “No, I shouldn’t have brought it —I knew better—just take it, it’s okay.” Read more »