My Homeland Security

It irks me when government can be such a pain in the butt to the law-abiding citizen, but can’t seem to enforce the law when you really need them. Why is it that the bad guys seem to get all the protection while we can’t seem to get a break?

Case in point: I recently spent the better part of two days in the airport at Minneapolis trying to get home. That effort made it necessary for me to pass through security FOUR TIMES. (One would think that Northwest would set up some sort of re-ticketing office inside the gate area, but they don’t. Sometimes they have a booth set up on wheels, but that is for emergencies only and isn’t staffed when you need it.)

So after you get through the maze in security, you arrive at the first TSA screener; Mr. Documents. I show him my boarding pass and passport, he takes out his magnifier and looks at the picture on my passport, then scribbles on the boarding pass.

Then it is on to the gray tubs for the briefcase, shoes, jacket and belt. And don’t forget the liquids and gels. I’ve already put everything in the briefcase, including watch, wallet, glasses, coins, pens…everything. Next I go through the magnetometer.

Here is the weird part. The gatekeeper at the magnetometer now wants to see the boarding pass as well! I am TEN FEET away from the government employee who just looked at it. I have been INSIDE their corral with uniformed TSA agents all around, and this guy wants to see the same slip of paper all over again.

Here I am in my stocking feet, my pants are slipping off my hips, I’ve had to do a “flamingo” dance to get my shoes off because there is no place to sit down, and they want to see my boarding pass one more time. Why oh why do we put up with this humiliation?

Now, the other side of Homeland Security; the utter nonsense that Immigration is informed hundreds of times a day that local agencies have a known illegal alien in custody AND THEY DON”T PICK THEM UP FOR DEPORTATION.

Why? It isn’t a priority for them. They aren’t prepared for those kinds of numbers. They are only concerned about the most violent ones or those who have ignored a deportation order.

One would think that they would at least give the person in custody a summons to appear in court to answer for the charges. Failure to appear would then put them on an outstanding warrant list.

But the Bush administration will have none of that. “Let ‘em go!” is all ICE will tell them.

How can Homeland Security be so strict in one area and so lax in another? It seems discriminatory to have law-abiding travelers jump through hoops at the same time known violators are given a free pass.

Some will argue that it is a matter of risk; that terrorists on airplanes are more likely. The truth is that our government KNOWS that terrorists have entered the United States through Mexico. They KNOW that terrorists have had contact with local police in the past and have been released with disastrous consequences.

But all “W” can say is that family values don’t stop at the Rio Bravo so therefore we should go easy on illegal aliens.

As for airport screening, TSA is now studying mood lighting and soft music to make the ordeal more palatable. I kid you not! They probably paid some consultant a million tax dollars to tell them what to do. http://www.airport-int.com/news/2008/04/01/music-and-light-reduce-airport-passenger-stress


This is all a bad joke and you and I are the patsies. Someday, Alice!