Today's announcement of a British bust of a terror ring, and the Code Red status granted to flights between the U.K. and the U.S. ushers in a new day in air travel security. A lot more baggage will be checked, immediately costing the hard—pressed airlines more money (carry—on bags save labor dollars), and until we get used to it, more delays checking in for our flights and picking up bags. We'll get used to it, I am sure.

Nobody wants to offer any details that would tip off imitators, but readily available materials can be used to make at least one well—known explosive, and if you combine them at the last minute and position yourself properly, you could bring down an airliner with a small—enough quantity small enough to be disguised as, say, contact lens fluid. You probably have guessed what it is, if you have seen many movies.

So we'll get used to a new regimen. Baby formula must be swigged by Mom before she brings it on board, at least for today. If you want to bring that special shampoo with you on an overnight business trip, you'll have to check a bag, not just stash it in your wheelie and roll right from the plane to the rental car.

New tests and procedures will be developed, and we may see machines at the gates. But the terrorists will continue to use their ingenuity and organizational resources to engineer more new threats. Apparently we are one step ahead of the terrorists for now. The U.K. intelligence and security operations deserve our thanks.

But we don't know what other surprises the Islamofascists might have in store. We are at war, no matter how many seem to forget it.

Thomas Lifson    8 10 06  6:05 AM PDT