Airline security

My wife and I are leaving town this weekend for a big family get-together. Logistics require that we fly, since we'll be traveling to New Orleans from our home in Dallas. This means our first taste of liquids-free flight. Conceptually, I agree with more-stringent rules in the face of last week's foiled plan to blow up U.S.-bound jets. (My wife disagrees. She believes the likelihood of terrorists using liquid explosives to be minute after the idea was exposed.)

I'm not so sure. I do know, however, that the changes made to airline security -- although loosened slightly over the weekend -- don't all make sense. Women can new bring on lipstick (a sensible revision), but most liquids are still prohibited. Consider the ban on beverages such as coffee. Following 9/11, security personnel asked travelers to taste their drinks when passing through security. Now, they are flat-out prohibited from taking it through the metal detectors. Perhaps there's an easier, more convenient solution.
This would be a good time to bring back the taste tests.