Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport saw a record number of people go

in and out of its doors over recent long holiday weekend. I was one of them,

as I picked my friend up on Friday and dropped him off on Monday. I didn't

have to go through any security lines or searches, which was nice, but as

I stood in the corral by the escalators I started pondering just how safe

the airport was these days.

In the old days, people picking up friends or loved ones could go directly

to the gate and escort them to baggage claim and eventually the car. Post-9/11,

this was determined to be too dangerous and/or too unwieldy a task, as tens

of thousands of people would now have to be screened with the same thoroughness

afforded to the soon to be passengers.

In the old days, this meant walking through the x-ray machine and maybe

being pulled aside if something looked suspicious or the guards couldn't

determine what something was inside your bag. This typically turned out to

be a curling iron or a remote control that was accidentally packed. Today,

going through security is a long process of checking everyone's shoes,

pulling aside every fifth (or some chosen number) person, placing certain

types of bags a certain way, removing anything metal from your vicinity,

answering trick questions about who packed your bag and the list goes on

and on and on.

Anyway, today you're only allowed into to the terminal with a ticket.

If you're picking someone up, you wait in the corral and you stay on

the correct side of the red line, if you know what's good for you. One

security guard the other day snapped at a girl who came up the escalators,

crossed the line and then crossed