At the CNN website, some people commented that if people don't like the invasive security controls, they shouldn't fly. I agree with that in principle, because we do have a choice. But I don't agree with that comment in practice, because the TSA is already overbearing. Why is the government spending so much money -- and wasting so many people's time -- on checking aircraft passengers?? Is it because one in a few million passengers is a terrorist? Why not check public busses and boats the same way? Is it because a large airplane can seat a hundred people or more? What about the line that forms when passengers wait to go through the TSA security station? Nobody checks the people entering that line; a terrorist could detonate his explosives when he's in the middle of the line. Is blowing up planes really an issue? Couldn't a terrorist just fire a missile at a low-flying airplane from just outside the airport perimeter? I think the real scare that the TSA is trying to control is hijackings. Well, I'd prefer it if everyone were allowed to take weapons onto the airplanes. Then if someone tries to hijack an airplane, the passengers can defend themselves.
Bad things are going to happen. We have to ask ourselves if the oppression is worth the safety. This full body imaging thing basically allows the TSA folks to see through a person's clothing. It's in airports now. Will it be in our children's schools next? Are we really going to continue prosecuting teenagers for sending naked photos of themselves to their friends while requiring them to be seen naked by security guards at the airport or at school? How many more hypocrisies can we possibly add to our government before our national anthem becomes ironic?
Would you prefer to live as a powerless slave in a country with no crime, or as a free citizen in a country where bad things sometimes happen to good people? I'll take the free country, thanks.
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