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Airport Security. Not! by
Peary Perry | |
Mark
Twain once said….”Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of
Congress; but I repeat myself.”
Even though he died nearly one hundred
years ago, his comments are still applicable to our political situation of today.
I would give anything to have his comments on our current situation in this country.
As an optimist I am committed to try and find the good, which must, I say, must
exist in all aspects of our lives. Or at least I hope that it does.
When
it comes to politics, I have to say it does try my patience and my very soul to
do so. I swear it appears to me that the people running this country just don’t
stop to think things through and consider what happens when they pass laws and
regulations. Someone once said that for every action there is a reaction and this
is certainly true inside the Beltway.
Take for instance this little bon
mot. As a result of the events of 9/11 we have had our lives changed in a drastic
manner in just about everything we do these days. Woe be to the poor person who
finds themselves in an airplane five or six days each week. I don’t know if you
could pay me enough to put up with all of the hassle these folks go through just
trying to get from one part of the country to another. Unless you’ve been living
in a vacuum somewhere for the past few years, you know what I’m talking about.
We have to get to the airport hours early, carry certain kinds and sizes of bags.
We can’t lock our stuff up without using special locks. We can’t carry various
items in certain sizes since these can be considered dangerous. This list changes
almost daily. One day you can’t carry a lighter, the next day you can. One day
you can carry a bottle of shampoo, the next day you can’t. Little eighty-year-old
ladies coming into the airport on a walker are subject to be searched for no apparent
reason at all. Give me a break, some of these women can’t carry their luggage,
you think they can handle an AK-47?
So we have thousands upon thousands
of men and women watching us, searching us, evaluating us, and listening to us
in case we say some forbidden words or some sort or another. This is all well
and good and seems to make good sense to me in light of the current situation
in the world.
However, as they say…a chain is only as strong as its weakest
link.
You’d think that the airports in our country would be secure all
of the time, wouldn’t you? I mean 24/7 365 days a year…sound right to you? Does
to me.
Well, Bunkie, think again….a recent survey showed that most airports
are closed from midnight until four or five in the morning. What do you think
happens during this four or five hour period?
Nothing. The employees coming
to work don’t get searched, don’t pass though a metal detector…. The hidden cameras
showed incoming employees with bags, boxes, and bicycles walking though the airport
entrances with no one stopping them or asking them any questions. The guard just
tells them to “ just sign in on the paper log and show your id card, if you have
one.”
Don’t have one? Well, be sure and get one before you come back in
the morning.
Don’t you just love it?
You don’t think the bad guys
would be willing to stay up late and do some nasty nasties to some of our planes
do you? I bet they are already there.
This is like one of us leaving
our house unlocked part of the time we are gone. If you aren’t secure 100% of
the time, then what does it do to be secure at all? Closing the barn door after
the cows are gone won’t get the job done any more than closing the door only ten
hours a day, will it?
So when our friends at the TSA sat down and thought
about securing the airports, do you suppose some duffus had a great idea to save
a few bucks by not securing the areas and checking the incoming employees all
of the time rather than just part of the time? I mean we’re only talking about
people’s lives here. Including yours truly.
Makes you wonder what they
do up there all day? Truth be known, they probably don’t do much…most likely they
use college level interns to do the down and dirty work and then take their end
product and lay claim to it…..
But then, that’s not too optimistic is
it?
Oh well, I can’t be positive all of the time….neither was Twain. |
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