Please consume your water, sir.

I got the joy of flying out to Minnesota on a day when the TSA raises the terror alert to orange. Living in the DC area, I know I will fully experience the brunt of our TSA stupidity.* It's not like folks flying out of Tulsa. They will actually experience something a little more civilized.

That said, I was glad to be flying out of Reagan National instead of Dulles this time. National just carries far less people, and hence, is not as much of a zoo. I made it through security in 5 minutes, and spent the next three hours consuming my beverages.

The connections through Chicago were a breeze, and I showed up in Minneapolis on time, but mega-late, at 20 minutes after midnight. I picked up my car, an awesome lipstick red Dodge Charger, and started for the two hour drive to New Ulm.

However, after 10 minutes of driving, I decided I was way too tired, the roads were way too dark, and the chances of hitting a deer or drunk driver were too great. So I pulled off and slept at a flea-bitten motel in Skakopee. After four hours of much needed sleep, I loaded up my GPS and headed for New Ulm.

*I say stupidity because banning beverages before the flights is the peak of idiocy. I mean, they should be learning something from the Israelis and profiling every single passenger, splitting groups apart and interviewing them, bringing them back together and comparing answers, generally investigating the person, not just the baggage. Instead, we ban all liquids, but then say, "Oh, well, baby formula and kids' juice is okay." Great. I guarantee you the next terrorist weapons will be in baby bottles and juice boxes. It's like the TSA is giving the bad guys a formula for what to try next. (No pun intended.)