You may have it backward when you say that America's sour mood "may be explained by the lack of a sense of history." Maybe we remember history all too well. Maybe we remember stories of World War II and hoped our children wouldn't have to experience the same. Maybe we remember our brother who is still affected by Vietnam and hoped that our children wouldn't have to live with the same torturous memories. When that infamous Berlin Wall fell, maybe we dreamed that global hatred was a thing of the past. Maybe for the first time in most of our lives, we thought danger on a grand scale was out of the picture.
PAT FREDELL
Kent, Wash.
Shrinking Airport Waits
Contrary to the message in "Waiting at the Airport" [June 26], the Transportation Security Administration has made significant progress on staffing our nation's airports. Of the 450 commercial U.S. airports where TSA operates, we are fully staffed at more than 420. A complete list of job openings is available at tsa.gov. Since implementing local hiring in March, TSA?s hiring rate now exceeds attrition. In airports with staffing needs, TSA is supplementing aggressive recruitment efforts with security officers on temporary assignment. At Los Angeles International Airport, TSA has recently reconfigured checkpoints to optimize passenger flow. Since Memorial Day weekend, the current average peak wait time at LAX is 12 minutes. Nationwide, the average peak wait time is 11 minutes. While security is our primary mission, TSA is committed to getting passengers through the checkpoints in a timely manner.
ELLEN HOWE
Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs, Transportation Security Administration, Arlington, Va.
Correction: "Secrets to a Stress-Free Summer" [July 3-10] should have reported that Americans spend $1.1 billion on sunscreen and self-tanners.
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