Republicans and Teapartiers really are an enigma. I've been reviewing several of their websites today and most of them are using the new Airline Safety Measures - Body Scans and pat downs as another method to beat up President Obama. What an enigma. They pretend to be so concerned over Safety for the American people, they even encourage and sanction torture, yet they are duplicitously attacking the President and the TSA for implementing safety security measures at our airports, our most vulnerable target repeatedly used by terrorists. How can they forget last year's "Christmas Airline Bomber?"Last year, after the Bomber was caught BEFORE he detonated his device, these same folks were UP IN ARMS over the President not doing enough for airline safety.
This year, before the Holidays, the TSA implemented a new Body Scanner technology in many major US airports. Passengers have two choices, they can either submit to a body scan or to a body pat. Either one of these methods would have stopped last year's bombers. He had a hypodermic needle tucked away in his clothes. He had a bomb packed in his underwear.
Granted, these searches and pats are not "fun." Airline travel isn't fun anymore for anyone. Flying "coach" has always been a nightmare being confined for hours into a small space with too many pe
ople. With the large number of people travelling, this makes the target all the more convenient for terrorists. It isn't a wonder these added measures of body scanners had to be taken. Remember all of those sci-fi movies that predicted this? Airline travel is a nightmare and these safety measures are unfortunately needed.Now, however the "Party of No" is capitalizing on this Safety Inconvenience and using it as another weapon against our President and his Administration.
Today, on Meet the Press, Bobby Jindahl said there was no need to stop most people for these "invasive" searches. Jindahl suggested, instead, that the only people that should be subjected to searches is those we think are terrorists - aka Racial Profiling. Last week, conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer said the same thing. He said, "We pretend that we go through this nonsense as a small price paid to ensure the safety of air travel. Rubbish. This has nothing to do with safety - 95 percent of these inspections, searches, shoe removals and pat-downs are ridiculously unnecessary. The only reason we continue to do this is that people are too cowed to even question the absurd taboo against profiling - when the profile of the airline attacker is narrow, concrete, uniquely definable and universally known. So instead of seeking out terrorists, we seek out tubes of gel in stroller pouches."
I think it is ridiculous to racially profile those we "think" are terrorists and let the little grannies and strollers roll by unsearched. Yet the Republicans, Fox News and the Tea Partiers (aka non-minorities / ole boys) are all rallying behind this "racial profiling" suggestion. Sure. Only stop the people in turbans or people we think look like they are "Middle Eastern." Another move to Stop the Brown People. Of course that would mean that none of the teapartiers or Krauthammer would be stopped. Being a granny myself, I guess that means I would not be stopped. African Americans would not be stopped. Only brown, Middle Eastern people in their 20's - 40's would be stopped and scanned. Is that it? That means, Bobby Jindahl, YOU WOULD BE SCANNED and Body Patted. Is that OK by you? And what about the Christmas Bomber? You know, the young guy that looks a little like a young Eddie Murphy? Why profile him? According to Jindahl's and Krauthammer's recommendations, he wouldn't be.
Posts
