Dana, we're just going to Houston, so another airport might be possible, but S's bag is already in the airport's innards, so that might complicate things.

And thanks for the sympathies, all.

Jilli, I am listening to a Panic! at the Disco cover of "This Is Halloween."

Don't hate me.

{{{Sean}}}

I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, but today I actually tried to think of why TPTB might not want people to travel. Because it sure seems like that's the TSA's goal. But I just couldn't think of any reason for the government to deliberately wreck the economy like that and decided to blame willful incompetence.

decided to blame willful incompetence.

I think they just want us to get used to continuous, intrusive security measures.

Hey, at least you guys don't have to have a retinal and fingerprint scan every time you fly over there. That sure is intrusive fun. But then, I am probably a terrorist.

I think they just want us to get used to continuous, intrusive security measures.

That's probably it, actually.

Any ideas on why They let the dollar get so weak, or is that one actual incompetence? (I had a corollary to my travel conspiracy theory where They wanted to limit international travel. But I'm not very good at this and clearly am not ready for my tinfoil hat.)

Any ideas on why They let the dollar get so weak, or is that one actual incompetence?

I'm gonna guess actual incompetence. Or, you know, Bush & Co. decided a higher priority would be to give a bunch of tax cuts to the very rich.

Hey, at least you guys don't have to have a retinal and fingerprint scan every time you fly over there. That sure is intrusive fun. But then, I am probably a terrorist.

nods

Have you had that thing where they make you walk into a wee cubicle thingy and then you're suddenly blasted with a mysterious puff of air which identifies whether you've ever thought kindly of Islam, or whatever the hell it does?

you're suddenly blasted with a mysterious puff of air

I'm going to guess this is to detect any minute traces of explosives on your person. Supposedly if you've handled explosives at all recently, this will detect it.

Yeah actual incompetence. Done incompetently too. It was more or less inevitable that a double deficit this size would lead to a lower dollar. If you absolutely insist on maintaining one, the smart thing to have done would have been to work to gradually lower the value of the dollar, so as to avoid a sudden crash... I think, to be exact, this was a combination of incompetence and criminal indifference.