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BQ, if you had a hideous experience flying during Christmas, you might want to check out this thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1310302/posts?page=37

The poster of the thread thinks that the TSA is just fine. He's posted on other threads that he doesn't mind the pat downs.

I didn't fly anywhere this year. In fact, I've gotten to where I'd rather have a root canal than fly during the Christmas holidays (or Thanksgiving, for that matter). TSA doesn't have anything to do with it. Often, the weather is bad, and I've had to contend with delayed or canceled flights, missed connections, missing baggage, getting to my destination at 2 am and trying to figure out how to get home - I'd just rather stay here. I know my mother would like to have us there for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I just can't bear to fly at that time of the year.

Last year, my hubby and I drove to Idaho for Thanksgiving, and it was quite uneventful. We didn't run into bad weather. The year before, we drove to Idaho for Christmas, and the weather was horrible. We ended up sitting on I-80 for three hours because Donner pass was closed - too many idiots couldn't drive on the *slightly* icy roads, and spun out. When we finally got to the pass, I couldn't believe there had been a problem. Sure, it was snowing lightly, and the roads were a little slick, but it really wasn't a problem. Of course, I grew up in Idaho, lived in the central Idaho mountains and SE Idaho for a good portion of my adult life and know how to drive in adverse conditions. We ended up spending the night in Winnemucca because it started snowing HARD around Lovelock and we could hardly see the freeway. I told my husband to pull into the first motel he saw when we hit the Winnemucca city limits, and he wanted to keep going. It was 7 pm by this time, and we still had another 240 miles to go. I said that we had no way of knowing how far north the storm was, and we could only travel around 30 mph due to conditions. When we started out again early the next morning, it was icy all the way to the Idaho line and well into Idaho. I'm glad we didn't continue on. Traveling in the winter can be really dicey.

My hubby has never driven in snow before (I'd driven to Reno, because of the weather), so he was getting a little freaked out.

Just when I think the press can't BE anymore disgusting they prove me wrong, again. This time their silly harping about President Bush not going back to DC for the photo-op is so obvious that even a blind pig could see what they're up to. I'm so glad that President Bush isn't playing into their hands but is, in fact, dishing up a little himself. LOL

"Earlier yesterday, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president was confident he could monitor events effectively without returning to Washington or making public statements in Crawford, where he spent part of the day clearing brush and bicycling. Explaining the about-face, a White House official said: "The president wanted to be fully briefed on our efforts. He didn't want to make a symbolic statement about 'We feel your pain.' "
Many Bush aides believe Clinton was too quick to head for the cameras to hold forth on tragedies with his trademark empathy. "Actions speak louder than words," a top Bush aide said, describing the president's view of his appropriate role."

Link to full article

Those people on that thread are in clueless la-la land. We had to take off our shoes everywhere we went (everyone in line did). I'm sure that is so sanitary. Every time I return through SFO, I am going through the line, minding my own business, smiling (i.e. no hostile attitude), etc. and I still get singled out for the "pat-down". No, they do not just wand you, they touch you in areas where you should not let strangers touch you. I have flown for emergencies only in the last year and this one qualified. This time at least, I had my husband watching so I felt a bit safer.

And, yep, because the airlines can't get their act together, there was no plane for us and we didn't arrive until 12:45 am, back home about 3 am. The entire Tucson Airport was abandoned and apparently there was no one left to unload luggage so that took another hour. By the time they found a shuttle driver to long-term parking...etc. etc. It was miserable enough before TSA days. It's beyond me why the airlines are subsidized.

Unfortunately, I have to fly again in two weeks for business. We will lose our jobs if we don't go on this trip. A few others asked if we could take the train or bus, answer was no. Can't wait to see what pleasures await me then.

Idiots on Donner Pass v. flying... hmmmmm.