I feel a great need, in this time of post traumatic stress, the difference between airline security guards in the US vs. the other two countries I have just passed through security in.

Basically, the US folks are assholes, the Asian ones weren’t.

The process in the Philippines is FAR more thorough than the US. We went through a total of seven security checkpoints in Manila, but at least they were reasonable about it.

We did not need to remove our shoes, belts, wallets, etc. as long as they didn’t set off the machine. They told us to put our cellphones in our bag (which I usually do anyways, but it was refreshing to see them not promoting the “put all your valuables in this little dish” method. I’m not a fan…at all.

They weren’t even that sensitive about water. They did stop us nearly every time to examine the tripod for the video camera (hey…if I saw something like that on my x-ray screen, I would too).

Once we got to Tokyo we were treated (as we were in our trip OVER) absolutely wonderfully. The security guards were respectful, non-invasive, they used their technology to its abilities. They were sticklers for water though, oddly enough. I found the whole experience of security in Japan to be very aerial, almost trance like. A very pleasant experience.

Enter Americans. We are greeted immediately with judgmental, overweight, and just plain mean employees (sorry for the bluntness, its true). They made us do unreasonable and just plane stupid things. They took EVERYTHING out and looked at it for most of us.

Now lets stop for a moment. Who wears the surgical masks in the airport for fear of getting a cold? The Japanese. If someone’s going to be paranoid, it would be them WAY before the US. As the US is in its oil induced “high alert”, they are paranoid, with a terrible implementation.

Forget everything I said about being in western culture on the previous blogs…as I listen to an ad broadcasted over the PA system of my flight from Honolulu to Maui, I come to the conclusion:

America sucks.