"The United States remains the last, best hope for a mankind plagued by tyranny and deprivation. America is no stronger than its people - and that means you and me." - Ronald Reagan

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Airport Security Screw Up

Airplane II: The SequelIn the 1982 movie, Airplane II: The Sequel, there is a scene in which security agents monitoring the metal detector allow a terrorist carrying assorted weapons to pass through. But when the next passenger, a little old lady carrying a purse, walks up, she is immediately pulled aside and frisked by one agent while the other one stands by holding a gun to her head. Meanwhile, 3 more terrorists walk on through carrying a panoply of weapons in their arms and slung over their shoulders. Granny is then promptly handcuffed, only to be taken away for further questioning I suppose. I remember watching this scene as a teenager and laughing at the sheer stupidity of the security team (I also couldn't help but wonder how Sonny Bono's crazy character even got on the plane! Remember him? He was the nervous guy carrying the bomb in a briefcase that had Pearl Harbor and Nagasaki tourist stickers on it.) With the recent security breaches in today's world, however, this comedic scene could be interpreted as drama.

When the police are on the hunt for a criminal, an APB and a photo are issued to help apprehend the perp, which makes sense to me. However, our TSA personnel are restrained by PC policy, enabling scenarios such as those parodied in Airplane II, to occur. Case in point - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who attempted to blow up flight 253 over Detroit by way of explosives hidden in his underpants. One thing is certain about the terrorists who are at war with us: They are all young radicalized Muslim men. How is it then that children, the elderly, and men and women of all different backgrounds still clog the security checkpoints in our airports? Are they not also being profiled for NOT fitting the profile of a likely terrorist? Until we come to terms with this fact, political correctness will eventually become another suicide pact. And given the recent headlines one could rightly ask, "Is life imitating art?"

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