Like every tourist in Page, Arizona, I popped in to visit Glen Canyon Dam. I’ve really enjoyed similar tours of other large dams.

And the impact on the environment caused by the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam is more controversial than most. It sounded interesting.

But I was turned off by over-zealous security officials.

After a slow line-up, turned out I was not allowed to carry anything into the facility. They rushed and flustered a bus load of French tourists too. Everyone present was painfully aware that there was zero security risk. It was an embarassment.

This going-through-the-motions has been called security theatre. Too right.

Rather than this useless song and dance, why don’t we study what the Israelis do? The security procedures of El-Al airlines, for example. El Al has has had no successful terrorist attack on board any of its aircraft for over 35 years.

Major dams are terrorist targets. They deserve the highest level of security. But hassling tourists does not help. Shut the facility down from tourism completely, if necessary. Shut down the highway, if necessary.

But don’t pretend you are preventing a serious attack by preventing me carrying in a wallet.

» next travelogue post on this trip – when did Halloween get … BIG?