Ron Hart: Bin Laden lives on through the TSA

Friday, Jul 8 2011,

"I'm not one to make waves, but dadgummit, this is wrong. People need to know. Next time it could be you." — Jean Weber, Destin, Fla. We celebrated our freedoms on the Fourth of July, but we seem to be slowly losing them. The wars we are still funding and the TSA are prime examples of how knee-jerk government policies, once set in motion in reaction to fears both real and imagined, damage the very people they profess to protect. Sadly, our government, which was founded on liberty and tasked with "providing for the common defense," is slowly being taken down by deluded notions of political correctness while it bestows equal rights on our enemies. Common sense — and our safety — are being sacrificed. Jean Weber's frail, wheelchair-bound, 95-year-old mother was detained for 45 minutes at a Florida airport and searched by the TSA, which forced her to remove her adult diaper. The 105-pound leukemia patient had to fly to her destination without underwear. The TSA is so devoid of reason and common sense that the poor old lady met with more scrutiny than a 20-year-old Middle Eastern male. By our government condoning outrages like this, bin Laden has won. He need not be buried where religious fanatics can worship at his grave. He lives every day in the TSA monster he caused us to create. A TSA spokesperson resolutely defended the screening agents in Ms. Weber's mother's case, and in others just as egregious. Not long ago, a 6-year old boy was groped by TSA screeners. At least the Catholic Church makes an effort to transfer its violators to another parish; the TSA does nothing but dig in and defend the indefensible. Maybe the TSA is working on a theory that al-Qaida is trolling old folks' homes, convincing 95-year-old cancer patients to hide knives in their diapers in hopes of them being able to overcome two 35-year-old airline pilots. In today's convoluted logic, if you refuse an airport pat-down you can be arrested. And the first thing the arresting officers do is pat you down; this is the circular nature of the conundrum. Moreover, a Cornell University study says more Americans (thousands a year) have died driving, which is more dangerous, because they would not fly due to all the hassle. The truth is, with long TSA lines, drunk pilots and sleeping air traffic controllers, al-Qaida terrorist are probably afraid to fly. Flying anywhere these days is hard enough. If the authorities want to assist the flying public, they should Taser anyone behind you who is a seat-kicker. I don't like being around kids on airplanes. With all the whining, fidgeting and childishness, I feel I am setting a bad example for them. These days, airline passengers are instructed not to bring three things with them to the airport: fluids weighing more than 3 ounces, more than one carry-on bag, and their dignity. It is sad when the TSA makes families traveling to July 4th reunions feel awkward and uncomfortable, thus replacing the traditional role of the actual family reunion. Why we are so afraid to try to challenge the TSA? The high-handed, Obama/Pelosi/Reid/Bush "it's for your own good" attitude of the TSA somehow discourages inquiry into what the heck it is really doing. Such is the nature of a government bureaucracy or a corrupt church. Rule Number 1: Aver your moral justification and superiority and let no one question what you do. Rule Number Two: Whenever what you do is questioned, refer your critics to Rule Number 1. The TSA handled more "junk" than Anthony Weiner this July 4th weekend, with neither having any chance of explosions. Now the TSA wants to unionize further, like the SEIU (Service Employees International Union). I suggest that TSA agents form a union called the Service Hierarchy International Fraternity of Transportation Legion Employees Security Service, or SHIFTLESS. TSA agents say that they are "just doing their job" — a job defined by them and not asked for by a majority of Americans. The more they try to justify themselves, the more work and job security they enjoy. If they increasingly unionize, Dems will view them as a voting bloc, not an unnecessary expense. If there is a simpler, less intrusive and more efficient way to do something, we should try it. Our country was founded by a bunch of folks who thought there was a better way.