I hate to break it to you, but I can guarantee that for any foreign travel, especially transatlantic, you can expect more thorough searches than previously. The basic issue is that the European airlines and passengers have lost patience with the demands of the US government on passenger screening. Their sense of humour really failed when they discovered that much of it did not apply to flights out of the US or internally. Can you blame Fred, Francois, Guido and Gerhard for getting upset about this? After all, which nation suffered a major terrorist attack due to poor security for internal flights in 2001.

This story has been quietly buried on both sides of the pond to prevent an all out major pissing contest resulting in the cessation of transatlantic flights. Basically, if the US wants incoming passengers subjected to invasive screening, they must do the same for those leaving the US. Oh, and if anybody here thinks the TSA are thorough, you have not traveled through a London airport in the last year. Suck it up or stay home. Oh, and I believe the deal in the UK is that if selected for scanning, go through the scanners or take the boat because there is no pat down option.

As for Janet Italian Ice Cream (or whatever her name is) giving the Muslim women a free pass, I cannot see that lasting much past the opening of the next Congress, if that long. The rumour mill also coughed up that the new body scanners were paid for out of stimulus funds. Any truth in that?