Leaving The Bahamas recently I was excited to be on my way to get a break from island life, when I was abruptly awakened from my pleasant state. It was not the rushed teary goodbye with my four children. It was not the pink chewing gum I sat on (in black pants!) when I had to take a shuttle from one terminal to the next in Fort Lauderdale. Nor was it the three security checkpoints I had to go the fifty yards or so to exit The Bahamas. It was…..the security checkpoint flying domestically within the good old U.S. of A.

After dutifully removing my shoes, my sweater, taking my laptop from the carry on and removing my watch that beeped in the first security check in The Bahamas, my purse was removed from me for a specific security examination. I confidently redressed myself, not concerned, as I knew the contents of my bag and did not feel there would be a problem. While packing away my laptop I saw security personnel tossing things into the trash taken from the man’s bag next to me, simultaneously saying, “Sir, these things can’t fly”. The man retorted quickly as if to possibly save his possessions, “Can you at least tell me what it is you have thrown out?” She replied, “Your toothpaste and your cologne”. I was stunned.

Picking up my carry on I continued to where my purse was undergoing nothing less than microscopic surgery. It was being swabbed by some round white fabric that looked like a cotton cosmetic pad, and then was inserted into some computer device for reading. Then she removed my makeup bag from my purse. Now listen, along the way through the airport, I had been noticing posters (see my link below - picture within) up noting things that were okay to travel with like formula, medicines,etc, of which I scanned quickly as I didn’t stand still long enough to read them fully. I did read, “Cosmetics, like lipsticks are okay”. I was gliding along in my “holiday getaway” mode and totally forgot about the recent incident in London. The rude awakening occurred when my favorite lip gloss, my new bottle of expensive eye drops, and my best perfume were tossed in the trash as security said, “These have to go”. I look stunned and asked, “Why?” She looked away as if to be bothered by my question, and I said further, “For education please?” “London” is all she says, “No liquids”. I had hoped for the scientific formula for the explosives, but had to take that instead.

Feeling violated, and yes that is how I felt! I even tuned in to double check, “yup, I feel violated”. I also was annoyed that I had not been advised of this prior to leaving The Bahamas by either my travel agent, or any of the airport staff. I also felt victim to some global scheme of ignorance (ok, just my own then). I moved along numbly to my next gate. Having to waste much of my time earlier creatively removing that gum from my butt, I realized I had still not eaten breakfast nor had any fluids in hours…something that I always ensured I did when I traveled – consume lots of water. I dashed into a food vendor and threw down a fast yogurt and banana and took my water to go. I got to my gate and boarding was already underway.

I presented my boarding pass and there was yet another security table, so I got my bag up for them and zipped all open to speed up the process like a “good traveler”.

“Sorry Madam, the water can’t fly”

Now WAIT!!!  What planet was I on?!   Had I heard this man correctly?   NO WATER!? He placed my new, unopened bottle into a tray with other confiscated items.

“Enjoy my water,” I said as I moved forward to him or no one in particular.  I took another step further and rethought it all; I stopped, and then turned back to him.  “Wait”, I said, “Can I drink some of it? I am thirsty.”

“Did you buy it in the U.S.?” he asks. (What did that have to do with……?!)

“Yes”,  I said, then opened and chugged back most of it, then gratefully thanked the man for allowing me to drink the water I purchased.

Finally seated on the plane I pulled out my journal to write this. Baffled at the state of our world and still spinning from what had just happened in mine. I remembered how bizarre it first seemed when we had to do the whole shoe removal thing, and marvel that now we all do it like good little “sheeple” and by rote.

You may likely think me daft to not “get this” and I have to say, I did remember the day that the news came out about the Transatlantic Aircraft Plot , and remembered that it had to do with explosives, but in my tranquil island life on Grand Bahama, I had no idea that they had taken such measures, other than “tightening security” within the U.S. I also do not travel very often. Had I known, I would not have felt violated. I still don’t really get the correlation between explosives and liquids and figure that today you can probably make explosives out of just about anything, just like you could likely stab somebody pretty good with a pencil. When does the madness stop?

There are many joke emails being circulated depicting the “ultimate security measure” and then you are shown pictures of persons boarding naked…..hmmn. This may not be far from the future truth! I shake my head and try and muster up faith in my fellow man, but the words, “What’s next?” echoes through my head.

So IF you are like me and IF you have not left the laid back Bahamas in the past few months and have a trip coming up remember these things. AND if you are a light packer and try to do the “just a carry-on” thing, you’d better purchase your toiletries when you get to your destination. No more convenience. You now have to check-it if you still want-it! Aaah, this is a perfect opportunity for those entrepreneurs to come up with “travel-safe” items that can be endorsed by the airlines as “safe to fly”. I hope they are at least donating the excessive amounts of product that are now being trashed. I think of the many shelters, old aged homes, or charities that could use this wastage.

So ladies, no more comforting those dry hands on the plane, or pampering those lips. You fall asleep and wake up looking like it, nope, you cannot use those handy eye drops to get your red out. And the flight attendants, I am sure, have to make more rounds to hand out water since those “smart travelers” can no longer take care of the side effects of travel on their own.

OH NO, while I was writing this I looked down at my Pilot Precise Grip pen and realized in horror...”gulp”, that it was full of, you guessed it – LIQUID!

Shhhh, please don’t tell anyone, as pens could be next!

(Since writing this there have been some changes....you can read an update here on the current partial lifting of restrictions: http://wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=5455596 Hmmn, wonder if I had anything to do with it? Naaaaah)