Hum, it's probably been a while since you visited the US then.  Showing
an ID with a photo has been in force here for as long as I can remember.
What is a more recent addition is that most people have to remove their
shoes to go through the magnetometer.  In fact, you want to make sure
that you have absolutely no ferrous metal on you when you go through
them, because they have set the sensibility way high.  I take off my
belt, totally empty my pockets and even remove my watch.  These days I
even forego my daily vitamin pill with iron if I fly that day.

If you happen to go through the portal and you make it ding, woe is you!
You will be treated like a mass murderer as they hustle you to the side
and start a thorough frisking of your entire body, from the soles of
your feet to the very top of your head.  What's even more fun is that
this is done in plain view of everyone.  Now, I don't know about you but
I do not like having someone name Sammy, who the week before was
butchering horses going all over my body.  So I make sure to NEVER ding
the buzzer and that means I take the steps listed above.

I even got a pair of shoes that are totally metal free to travel on
planes.  They still want me to remove my shoes.  If I try to explain
that there is no metal in them, that they will not ding the buzzer, they
simply explain that if I do not remove my shoes, they will personally
search me, buzzer or no buzzer.

I check all my luggage, even for short trips, so that I can concentrate
on keeping my laptop safe from the TSA gorillas, as I try to wrestle it
from their grasp while holding my shoes and keeping my pants from
falling because my belt is still being inspected in the X-ray machine.

After you reassemble yourself you can then walk away from the checkpoint
secure in the knowledge that everyone goes through the same procedure.

Not.

Denys


> > In a post-9/11 world, who wants to go through the humiliation at the
> > airports to fly from Houston to Dallas?

No problem. What you call "humiliation" (basically, showing an id with a
photo) has been standard in Europe since the mid-70s, even for domestic
flights. And yes, I've been in the States before and after 9/11.

> In the 3-hour drive from
> > Houston to Dallas, one would have gone through 12.3 countries in
Europe
> > and still not have found anywhere to park.

That's if you shun public parking places. They are very common in Paris,
Frankfurt and most major cities I've been too. Of course, if you mean
parking along the curb, they that's clearly an uphill struggle ! BTW,
this is one of the few decent features of driving in Europe : you always
find a place to park. Always.

> Not me. I drive for any trip that will take 8 hours or less, now, and
some
> that will take longer (for example, where a significant drive is
needed at
> either end).

Makes sense. I'd probably do roughly the same. In fact, having a company
car, it even makes economic sense to do so.

Christian

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