- I watched
security personnel in Salt Lake City insist that a man in a
wheelchair "get up and walk through the security zone." The
older man smiled wryly at the semi-toothless security lady and
suggested that if she could find a way that he could walk,
then the whole of the airport would witness a miracle as he
hadn't walked since Viet Nam. I couldn't believe the
embarassment this uneducated, overpaid, ignorant person
subjected this veteran and citizen to.
- I watched one day, as security
asked a woman to remove her Bledsoe boot, the plastic
boot that many doctors are using in place of plaster casts
these days. As the woman started to remove her boot, her child
said, "Mom, the doctor said you aren't supposed to take it off
for 6 weeks." The security person then said, (as the boot was
halfway off) "Is it safe for you to remove your boot, is it
going to cause you any problems?" The woman then wisely
replied, "Well, I don't know if it's going to cause me any
problems, but you are a security guard, you are responsible
for whatever happens here, and I want to be able to comply
with everything you ask so that I can get on the plane."
- I watched as my mom went to go
through security, they wanted to search her physically, and
she about panicked. She doesn't speak English at all, she's
exceptionally conservative, even to the point of using safety
pins between the buttons on her shirt. She also wears 3 skirts
at a time, so that they are heavy, layered, and won't fly up
in the wind. She can't walk very well, security wouldn't let
anyone accompany her to the gate, and they wanted to strip
search her. How does one explain to an 80 year old woman that
doesn't speak English that she has to remove all of her
jewelry, shoes, belt, and jacket so that a strange woman can
feel up under her dress, can poke around her breasts, can
fondle her backside, even though it violates every religious
tenet that this elderly woman has lived with for all her life?
You can't.
- This marketing ploy called "scare
the hell out of the American public" has gone too far. We are
subjected to search at every baseball, basketball, awards, and
large social event that now takes place. You'll hear in the
newspapers and on the news that "this sort of security
precaution takes place all over the world" in defense of this
violation of our privacy and space. This simply IS NOT TRUE!!
Not in Guatemala, not in Sweden, not in Germany, not in
Bombay, India, not in Shanghai, China, and not in Rio de
Janeiro. But it certainly happens in the states. Why? Because
we need to bolster our feeling of security. When in truth,
poor security is worse than no security at all, because a
false sense of security numbs the mind. Truth is folks,
anytime anyone serious about taking down a plane, bringing a
gun to a basketball game, planting a bomb at an awards
ceremony, they're going to do it, and they'll find a way to
circumvent the already weak and useless system. And moreover,
many nutcases out there are now pushed to do just that: beat
the system. Airport security is worse for safety now than it
was 15 years ago, according to the FAA inspection department.
I myself, have regularly carried a common Swiss Army knife
through airport security at least 20 times in the past 3
months. And have been patted down, metal wanded, and in two
cases, strip searched. So much for the higher cost of safety.
- Why are we not panicked that we are
losing our town squares, our local forums for free speech, our
public park spaces, our right to be free as humans? Why are we
not outraged at the children in Rangoon, Malaysia, Indoniesia
that are making .15 cents an hour making Nike shoes, while
Nike spends billions buying up private land so that citizens
of small towns like Wamyot, OR are forced to either paint
their houses in "Nike approved" colors, or move from their
homes? Why are we not outraged at the bills that are passing
through Congress, allowing our emails to be intercepted by a
government agency at any point in time? Why are we not
outraged that our names, addresses, social security numbers
are being sold by banks, lending institutions, and credit
unions to the highest bidder?
- We are losing our personal
privacies, freedoms, and rights faster than the Afghani's can
run from our tanks. All in the name of marketing. But we all
know that once lost, these freedoms can never be regained.
Ever. It's never happened. Once lost, my friends, we'll never,
ever regain our privacy. It's time to get up, stand up. Stand
up for your rights, as the late Bob Marley sang. The time for
panic, for acting as though every person around the corner
from us is carrying a bomb, knife, gun, or sharp nail file
with which to harm us. We have become our own worst enemy, and
many of you have bought into this concept that otherwise
unemployable people known as 'security guards' in airports,
malls, bus stations, and arenas are acting responsibly towards
our safety and well being. Many of these very guards are
former criminals themselves. Many of them are convicted
felons. Salt Lake City alone recently purged 14 known felons
while in the midst of an INS raid. None of the felons were
from Mexico, even though they were originally seeking aliens
that were working at the airport. They were people that had
been hired to protect the common public. I'm sure they protect
our wallets as they are lifted from our pockets. (I've twice
had things 'disappear' during 'security' searches) It's time
for us to disagree with our government, refuse to be bodily
groped, refuse to be searched unless they have reasonable
cause, just as the Constitution provides for.
- Fight this stupidity. Have courage
in the face of evil and tyranny. And don't pull your pants
down for anyone at any airport. I know I've made my stand.
Perhaps my next editorial will be written in jail. I hope
someone out there will post bond. Cuz' all my money now goes
to paying the new flight safety tax, and the TRA taxes. All so
I can have the privelege of being phyisically searched by
someone who couldn't pass the policeman's test, or in more
instances, couldn't pass the high school graduation test.
