Letter: Airport security confusing, rude

Thursday, March 24, 2005 | 9:04 a.m.

We recently returned from a vacation in Mexico. Returning through customs at Los Angeles International Airport, any vacation uplift was quickly squashed by the surly staff who work at this agency. Returning to our own country, we were made to feel like unwelcome visitors. The only pleasant person was a woman with a plant-sniffing beagle who smiled and chatted with people explaining what the dog was looking for as she made her rounds. There was no allowance made for those of us who had not been through this process at this airport before, and were bewildered by the lack of signage or directions to get through this maze and find our departure gate.

Next we had to get through Homeland Security. The same shoes that went through security at this terminal on the way to Mexico set off alarms on the way back, and my husband's jacket had to be on or off at the whim of whoever was on the gate. Apparently any show of friendliness or courtesy during this process is grounds for dismissal. Overseeing everything from a raised chair was an apparent supervisor who was diligently flossing his teeth during the whole time we were there.

My husband and I are professional people who are about as threatening as the plant-smelling beagle and we love our country and want it to be safe. Nothing we experienced gave us any sense of security. Our present government seems to confuse empowerment and rudeness with competence. It frightens me to think what our country's enemies think of all of this.

WARREN AND LINDA HOLLIS