Last Friday morning as the tragedy in Japan was unfolding, the entire airport waiting area was transfixed to the monitors.  Even monitors that had no sound were holding the attention of travelers as we watched the horrific scenes.  Cars bounced along at the crest of the tsunami like ice cubes in a glass of water.  Houses swept from their foundations carried their belongings and sometimes their residents into the overwhelming flood of debris.

As I was boarding my plane I heard the attendant ask the gentleman behind me if there was further news on the flood.  I was shocked by his response “It is quite horrific but they have gotten off lightly”.

Lightly?  If that’s the case I wonder what he would think was a more weighty tragedy? It seems the middle east has lost our attention.

This is the latest word out from TSA on their involvement in Japan.