Today I’m flying to Knoxville from Moncton.  Hit the airport and ….  Security check… belt off, watch out of pocket, laptop out, liquids out, through and onto the plane I go.

Forward into T-dot and going through pre-customs to the U.S.  Crazy, crazy people.  I now need a tag on each of my carryon bags from the airline (who didn’t give me any and I end up having to hunt some down).
Then customs, which was quick and painless.

Then through security yet again.  Sigh… .belt off, watch out of pocket, laptop out, liquids out.  Also shoes off this time.
Then a second customs check, in which I was asked considerably more questions.

Finally I’m into the gates. It’s been an hour of waiting, but hey, I’m done!

Then yet another lineup that is handchecking carryon.  That’s right.  At the gates themselves, a line of 20 or so tables with agents physically going through bags.  Luckily I was waved through that line and got to walk past.  But here’s the thing.  The second check makes it painfully, painfully obvious that the U.S. does not even trust Canada’s security people to do the baggage checks.  They actually bring people in to do an ADDITIONAL screening!

So much national paranoia and the nagging feeling that I obviously must be guilty for this amount of redundant security checking to be necessary.