We awoke this morning with a nice cuddle and a usual morning-one of us walked the dog, while the other made coffee. I let Mumin out and we played with Gorby. Then we did our usual-Angus started surfing on the downstairs PC while I made myself comfortable on the couch, finishing my book.

But then Angus-whose first stop in the surfing of the day-called me into the study. It seems this country has gone a little mad this morning, and in going mad, they've left us feeling pretty seriously vulnerable. We should have guessed it by the quiet outside-we couldn't hear a single plane, and at this time of day there should be some, high above the clouds, on their way to America and beyond.

Apparently a terror plot was foiled last night, which has not only resulted in the closing of Heathrow, but also in a number of grim officials on TV now telling us what we can and can't do. The biggest is this-no carry-on luggage. American websites are mis-reporting this issue as "British Airways not allowing carry-on luggage"-the truth is, no flight going to or from the UK-on any airline-can have carry-on luggage. The changes, as listed here, are as follows:

Passengers may take through the airport security search point, in a single (ideally transparent) plastic carrier bag, only the following items. Nothing may be carried in pockets:

- Pocket-size wallets and pocket-size purses plus contents (for example money, credit cards, identity cards etc (not handbags)

- Travel documents essential for the journey (for example passports and travel tickets)

- Prescription medicines and medical items sufficient and essential for the flight (eg, diabetic kit), except in liquid form unless verified as authentic

- Spectacles and sunglasses, without cases

- Contact lens holders, without bottles of solution

- For those travelling with an infant: baby food, milk (the contents of each bottle must be tasted by the accompanying passenger) and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (nappies, wipes, creams and nappy disposal bags)

- Female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed (eg tampons, pads, towels and wipes)

- Tissues (unboxed) and/or handkerchiefs

- Keys (but no electrical key fobs). All passengers must be hand searched, and their footwear and all the items they are carrying must be X-ray screened.

- Pushchairs and walking aids must be X-ray screened, and only airport-provided wheelchairs may pass through the screening point.

- In addition to the above, all passengers boarding flights to the USA and all the items they are carrying, including those acquired after the central screening point, must be subjected to secondary search at the boarding gate.

Liquids and electronics, then, seem to be the bad guys.

And for all flights going into/out of the US, we still have to follow the rule as instituted a few years ago: no locked suitcases. So the good news is, we get to put valuable items in our suitcases now-like laptops, mobile phones, and iPods-and risk not only getting our knickers sniffed, but our important items knicked, too.

This is great. Unfortunately, we have already booked our tickets to Atlanta in November, otherwise the truth? We wouldn't be going. From a personal perspective, I'm already a nervous flier, the idea of getting on a plane without a book is damn near sacrilege to me-I don't think I can do it. On flights without films, etc, I'd go mad-I literally can't sit still for any extended period of time without getting wigged out. What am I supposed to do, juggle my tampons (which will be obviously exposed individually in my clear plastic bag)?

But that's not my biggest issue. My issue is I'm pretty tired. Really tired. I'm sorry if I come off ungrateful-I do absolutely extend sincere and heartfelts thanks to the MI5 and Scotland Yard for their vigilance, and am sure that they deserve kudos for busting a terror ring-that takes incredible skill and patience, I am sure, and it's also (I'd imagine) incredibly dangerous. The men who accomplished this foiling should get a medal, a raise, some time off, or at least a nice box of wine. Not sure what the going rate is for saving many lives, but they should get that times two.

But these temporary measures-they're not temporary. Not in the least. I suspect it'll be a year or more before we're allowed to carry anything on board. And I have to be honest-in some ways, this really fucks me off. To be drilled and scanned so many times. Why isn't security already good enough to catch things? Why take extra measures and scaring the bejeezus out of people just to fill the gaps that the airports can't fill? Why haven't the airports been secure enough before?

This is my biggest issue. It's as a security expert said this morning-it's not that hard to smuggle things onto airplanes. To which I want to shout: Why not? What is being done wrong that makes it not hard?

All this, and we're getting no further information here, and the information I see elsewhere is only so much conjecture. Strangely, the Swedish papers that have better info (true, Aftonbladet is a little bit sensationalist. Still, it's more info than we have and so I read all the Swedish newspapers this morning online.) But I reckon that as there are only 9 million people in Sweden, and maybe only a few million more that speak Swedish, this info is not so useful.

I wonder what end this is all coming to. I hate feeling like I'm a suspect, which is how I feel every time I fly in and out of the States-and I'm an American citizen, I wonder how other travellers who aren't citizens feel. I hate seeing what's happening in my lovely country-a few years ago when flying into Atlanta, the man in front of me-an American citizen, in the American citizens line-was pulled out by security and taken to another area to be grilled. I heard him asking what was going on, in a thoroughly American accent. His crime, I guess? He was of Arabic descent. I later saw him in the baggage claim area, and he looked like a lost soul.

That kind of action really winds me up.

I thought those days were over, and ended around the time that anyone could sit in any part of the bus.

I was wrong.

Terrorism is not new to anyone in England-they haven't had trash cans in train stations or tube stops for so long that no one seems to remember when they did have them. The IRA had the country under lock and key in some ways-now that the IRA are no longer such a concern, there's another reason to keep the bins out of stations. Living under threat is something that the people here-especially in the area I live and work in, the London and commuter areas-are accustomed to.

I remember flying out of Tel Aviv, on a business trip to Israel. Although I have a serious issue with their actions in Lebanon, I found the Israelis to be quite kind, but their way of life was so foreign to me-the security at the airport was the most ruthless and aggressive I had ever seen. I am a well-seasoned traveller but they had me, and many others, reduced to tears. I actually felt scared. Aside from the airport, I had good hosts, but I remember each time we went out for dinner we had to be searched at every restaurant. Some even had metal detectors fitted over the doors. The Israelis seemed so nonchalant about this-this was their way of life, they were used to it.

I don't want to be used to this.

I love the fact that I am an American, I am proud of my heritage and my background, but I am equally proud and thrilled to live in the UK with my English love. What I don't like, what my biggest problem is in all of this, is knowing there is loss of liberty. I hate that all details about me are transmitted to the US government when I travel, right down to any meals I order. I hate that wire-tapping is all A-ok now and can be done without a warrant. Hell, I'm sure this blog post will set off some flags somewhere, and some government official will read it to make sure I'm not a loon. I'm not a loon. No really, I'm not.

Angus' kids fly in tomorrow. Luckily, their mum still seems amenable to them coming. They'll have to hand carry their passports only, and I can't imagine that a three hour flight with nothing to do will be very good for morale.

I want nothing more than to bring a child into this world with Angus, as a family. I want to travel the world as a family with three kids. What I don't want is to know that there is fear along the way, that some borders are closed to us because of the color of our passport covers.

Tony Blair had better call his holiday short and fly back to the UK. And if he's going to lead the people, he should be one of us, and fly back with his transparent bag in his lap, containing his glasses and his passport and a couple of unused handkerchiefs.

-H.

**UPDATED**-I've closed comments and banned several commenters-it's a nice feeling, that IP-banning frenzy. Almost orgasmic. And I pulled then re-published then pulled then re-published this post and another I had explaining why I pulled it (the reason? The hate comments and email this post garnered by some trolls. Not worth it). I think I'll leave it up now. For now.

**UPDATED AGAIN**-if you came here via Michelle Malkin (who I believe didn't actually read my blog post) and want to spread the hate-save it. Seriously. I wrote this post first thing this morning UK time, before they'd even identified that there were specific airlines and threats involved. News reports were all conjecture then, there were no "10-20 airlines", at that time all we were told was there was "indicative threat". The point of this post is that I feel airports should have been better prepared. If you can't see that, this post isn't really for you, anyway.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 07:33 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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