security theater
the security theater in ecuador and peru was pretty minimal. there were no lines. no waiting. it was a refreshing change from the crap we deal with in this country. they were doing quality control at customs in ecuador. it took longer to get the quality control ticket and turn it in than it took to process our passports. well not really. but it was close. in contrast i made a polite observation to the u.s. customs guy after waiting in a non-moving line for 20 minutes. and he made it very clear he didn't want some smart ass telling him how to do his job. and if i gave him any more lip he'd push this big red candy colored button and i'd be whisked off to a secure room to have my body cavities searched. hmm...