Wednesday
Nov292006
venting
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 01:13PM
As the airport security lady snarled at me and stole my toothpaste, I thought again about our government's current airport security charade.
Notwithstanding the obvious ridiculousness of the screening process to get to the gates (you know, scan the bags but not the people, so you can put stuff in your pockets but not in your backpacks...) or the fact that we're spending billions and billions of dollars to hire people to tell us to take off our shoes and buy expensive machinery that most of those people can't seem to work...
Notwithstanding the speeches made by Bin Laden and other Al Queda leaders who said the goal is not to kill us all, but to make us afraid, and then drain our economy as we uselessly attempt to fight not the enemy, but the fear... You know, like they did to Russia twenty years ago, causing a total economic and political collapse...
Notwithstanding that apparently airplanes can handle 2.5 ounces of liquid explosives, but not 3, and that if that's the case, two people couldn't combine their 2.5 ounces to come up with 5...
Notwithstanding all of that, our law system is allegedly set up based on the idea that we are considered innocent until proven guilty. This airport business is the other way around, though. They're assuming we're guilty and we have to prove our innnocence. Maybe some think its wise, and I obviously disagree, but it's definitely not constitutional.
To me, a trip to the airport serves again to remind me that control is nothing but an elusive idol and fear does nothing but cripple. Like traffic, cancer, reality tv and indigestion, this is just another thing that makes me long for my real home.
Notwithstanding the obvious ridiculousness of the screening process to get to the gates (you know, scan the bags but not the people, so you can put stuff in your pockets but not in your backpacks...) or the fact that we're spending billions and billions of dollars to hire people to tell us to take off our shoes and buy expensive machinery that most of those people can't seem to work...
Notwithstanding the speeches made by Bin Laden and other Al Queda leaders who said the goal is not to kill us all, but to make us afraid, and then drain our economy as we uselessly attempt to fight not the enemy, but the fear... You know, like they did to Russia twenty years ago, causing a total economic and political collapse...
Notwithstanding that apparently airplanes can handle 2.5 ounces of liquid explosives, but not 3, and that if that's the case, two people couldn't combine their 2.5 ounces to come up with 5...
Notwithstanding all of that, our law system is allegedly set up based on the idea that we are considered innocent until proven guilty. This airport business is the other way around, though. They're assuming we're guilty and we have to prove our innnocence. Maybe some think its wise, and I obviously disagree, but it's definitely not constitutional.
To me, a trip to the airport serves again to remind me that control is nothing but an elusive idol and fear does nothing but cripple. Like traffic, cancer, reality tv and indigestion, this is just another thing that makes me long for my real home.
Reader Comments (10)
Well said.
great use of notwithstanding...you get the Most Usage of a Word Award in a Blog for the week...
i'm a big fan of this entry.
Your post reminds me of the TSA sketch from the season premiere of SNL. Funny stuff. Too bad NBC won't allow it to be posted online anywhere.
bravo, man. that's a great venting session.
my friend justin had to buy a plane seat for his guitar. Im guessing he didnt pack toothpaste though....
Amen!
what if you have an 8oz tube of toothpaste that is only a quarter full?
Great post. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/11/no_cake.html" rel="nofollow">Here's another.
Pretty soon we'll be boarding planes naked and sitting in bubbles.