Paranoia Waning

This winter's semi-annual family trip by plane revealed some good news for once. A decade after 9-11, the airport security system run by the Transportation Security Administration has gone from paranoid to merely ineffectually earnest. The constant soundtrack of elevated security levels attached to a color code has faded to a periodic warning not to leave bags unattended. Children no longer have to remove their shoes at security checkpoints. Dare I say that the attitude of the TSA workers is also not quite so on edge? Let's hope it lasts.