I'm starting to see snippets of anecdotes of people who just aren't bothering anymore.

I don't mean people who are afraid to fly, I mean people who are tired of the silly frisking of grandmothers, of the intrusive delays over silliness, of the random hassles and silly drills over what has already been the often frustrating business of air travel. And did I mention the inane silliness?

I know a lawyer guy who needed to go from CLE to Chicago for a case, but after many flights in the past, chose now to drive. He knew his papers would stay with him, and he figured driving the 360 miles would take him just as long and he would be in more control.

My family and I leisure travel enough that my kids have been elite for years. It's just not worth the hassle and indignity for three-day weekend getaways to pass through aiports anymore. Next year we do away with those, and will instead go on an extended summer driving trip.

Life is too short to put up with this crap voluntarily.

Side question- how come those ads on TV telling us our patriotic duty, the ones interspersing Pres Bush with happy crews of travel industry personnel, don't feature the merry band of security screeners? Can't you just see their beaming faces, waving their wands at the camera, joyfully making the conveyor belt go back and forth, gleefully handing you the tippy baskets, proudly holding up in their glove clad hands their lengths of magic tape?