Lipsticks were removed from the banned list last week:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/08/13/air.security/index.html

Keep in mind the restrictions are stiffer for transatlantic flights.

I am well aware that lipsticks were allowed. I had a bunch of them in a little red makeup bag. This lip balm is a liquid...a gel even!...and they didn't even find it.

I looked at the CNN link from your comment:

Under the new rules, travelers can take up to four ounces of non-prescription medicine, glucose gel for diabetics, solid lipstick and baby food, the agency said.

The Army guy was playing pong on his phone before he searched Amy. I'm sure he didn't know lip balm from tunafish in a tube. He wanted to get back to his game.

Here's the link to tuna in a tube:

http://snack.blogs.com/snack/2005/10/planesnack_tube.html

If belief in God went away one morning at dawn, we wouldn't be safer. Some new set of freak beliefs would rush in to fill the space.

If modern life were spread around the world (capitalism, democracy, edumacation, sexual liberation/suffrage etc) then these airplane terrorists wouldn't be using Allah as a beard. They'd have some some other excuse, but it wouldn't be religion. A few days ago Pirate Jo or someone here was saying that these guys need to get laid. I think that's true. The footsoldiers in terrorism are appalled that modern women can lead Pam Anderson-style lives without cutting off a slice for them to enjoy.

Two weeks ago Hitchens had a good short piece about airline travel (link may rot soon)-

http://tinyurl.com/rjw4p

Isn't there an animal called a balm? Or did I dream it?

We wish we had the afternoon hallucinations you do. We just had an afternoon nap. The royal we, my apologies. I'm too groggy still to get ahold of myself.

I'm sorry I missed your balm, Miss. I was staring at your...

Is that a wire? (Oh, please, I hope so...!)

Just kidding. You know I'm not an airport guard. How does Pam Anderson travel?

I am to travel to Cali in December - if I happen to be on the rag will my tampons be confiscated because they could have been dipped in explosives and the pull string might be used as a fuse? Will pads be sliced with a razor to look for hidden explosives? I can't help if I retain water - will that be considered a liquid that must be left behind - they will have to siphon me.

Very funny, Claudia. Reminds me of one of my own war stories:

Coming back to LAX from Paris a while ago, I was searched thoroughly 3 times. The third time, the agent (a woman) interrogated me on why I was coming back with an unopened box of tampons. I explained I'd bought it in France but didn't need to use it before I returned. That wouldn't satisfy her. She had one of her colleagues escort me to a special interrogation room, put on surgical gloves, and ask me to open the box, and pick up a tampon. He told me to hand it over to him, and proceeded to carefully open/shred it; same with a second, and a third one. Even though I was totally jet-lagged, I had to pinch myself no to laugh. I knew what he and his colleagues were up to: to humiliate me until I exploded, so they could lock me up (they'd done that before, and the various consulates had warned us). They interrogated me at length about my life, my reasons for going to France, for coming back to the U.S. I remained cooperative and courteous all the way through, because I was *not* going to give them what they wanted. They eventually had to let me go -- my vindication.

This whole paranoïa BS all show, anyway. Remember we have an election coming, and fear is a powerful propaganda tool. The bottom line is: if terrorists want to strike us, they will -- gel/lipstick or not.

The UK has charged a dozen or so people with offences relating to planning explosions on a transatlantic flights. I look forward to whatever reliable information the trial will reveal. It is easy to mistake prevention for paranoia.

Of course, this is exactly how terrorism works. People saying we must do this or mustn't do that because then the terrorists will have "won" have completely missed the point. The fact that they are making such statements shows that terrorism is already effective, whether we like it or not. And the effect is, among other things, to cause election of leaders who (a) raise the fear level and (b) promise to lower it. It's great election material.

That's horrible, LA Frog. And on what grounds could they lock you up?

And Rad, how does Pam Anderson travel? Probably on a private jet!

My problem is almost nothing has been done in the way of "homeland security" -- except this stuff just for show. I think the way LA Frog was treated was pretty horrible -- and is not a way they'll catch any terrorists, but an obvious power play situation.

I said that these guys have got to get laid. If religion was eliminated, that would be step one. Then all these backward countries would have to start educating everyone to bring them out of the dark ages, and that would include comprehensive sex ed. Certain part of the US could sit in on that part of the course, because the American Taliban has unfortunately kept them in the dark ages too. If women were well educated and autonomous, everyone would be getting more, and there wouldn't be all these unwanted pregnancies either.
Oh well, maybe one day...

I think we should air-drop Whitney Houston in first!

Thanks for your concern Amy, but it was not that bad -- just absurd. Some people go through much worse trials -- without reason. As you write, it was just a power play.

Fact is terrorism works, most of amercans are running around scared that someo is out to get them for no reason. And God forbids them to think about the policies our government enacts that piss so many people off

And let's not forget the that we closed the air bases in Sudia Arabia just as Osama demanded, so next time President Dipshit says we wont give in to terrorist threats, please remeber he doesnt care about you or your saftey and he is just posturing for votes to keep his political party in power so they can keep making money.

PS all the airport security in the world doesnt stop a guy in long term parking with a rocket launcher, or a bomb put inside an animal, or someone fanitical enough to swallow the liquid explosives themselves.

Ritalin?

Ritalin what?