> One thing still worries me. A week ago last Friday, days before the WTC attack, we left for Chicago and eventually Seattle, from the Knoxville, Tennessee airport. I've flown from there many times. It's a small, rather laid back airport with only one concourse. But that day, security was tighter than I've ever seen it. I sent my carryon through the machine and stepped through the metal detector. Honk! They checked me thourghly with "the wand" and even felt aroung my waist and ankles. About that time, I noticed that they were searching my wife's backpack. We don't look like terrorists. We're in our 60's and generally dress up a bit when we fly. I aways feel comforted by tight airport security and this time it was really tight. But why? Did they know something?
> Howard

This is what I mean by loose security in US airports. Anywhere else in the world, this kind of security is normal. Unless you fly El Al, which puts all luggage through decompression chambers to check that it won't explode when air pressure drops, and has plainclothes armed guards on every flight.

And of course you don't look like terrorists. NO-one does, least of all the terrorists.

winter"Not that any of that needed to be said"mute