The BorD files, episode 13:

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Oct 17 2001

Here I sit and I am angry. I just watched the most rediculous thing I have ever seen. I watched the line at the airport security area split into 2. Those with laptops and those without. They made those of us with laptops take them out of our bag, then put them through the machine. What on earth did that gain? If we are going to put it through the machine anyway, why take it out of our bag? They did not have us turn it on, they did not have us do anything. Just put it on the belt. I would think that the magic xray machine could see through the bag and into the laptop.

But wait. There is more. After going through the metal detector, they send you over to the little person with the wand. The wand that checks for metal. The metal detecting wand I would guess. In any event, they wave the wand around and find that my belt buckle is metal. So I have to unbuckle my belt so that they can check that I have nothing under my belt.

But that's not all. They find metal in my shoes. Why there is metal in my tennis shoes I have no idea. They make me take my shoes off, put them in a bag, then stick them through the xray machine. So now at least we know there is nothing in my shoes.

So the Marine is standing there with the M16, and as I sat tying my shoes a few feet away I wondered how hard would it really be for a few guys to rush the soldier and get a few shots off? Or better yet, beat the soldier, take his automatic weapon and go on a shooting spree through the "secure" area of the airport? I am hoping that the sheep mentality in America is done, that someone would stand up and take out the shooter, but I really do not know..

Of course, the really funny thing would be to find out that the Marine had no ammo in his automatic weapon in the first place. Wouldn't that be a hoot. To find out that this show of force is just that. A show.

As I sit here, a lady is chatting on her cell phone and she is angry as well. She is telling her friend that they put her laptop through, and she got her bag, and could not find her laptop. It gets better. She had 5 lighters in her purse. They let her keep 2 and she had to give them 3. I guess they thought she could not start a fire with the 2 they left her, but the 3 they took were more flammable? She asked them where the rules were, and the folks at the security booth said they were making them up as they went along.

Everyone has their little flags up, they are singing God Bless America and saying the pledge of allegiance. But they are letting the terrorists win. They think dropping a few bombs on a bombed out country is making some kind of a difference. They think that heightened security at the airport is the answer. They sit back and let the government pass laws to allow them to read our email and listen in on our conversations. They are happy to give up civil liberties just as long as the Amercian people can keep being sheep.

This is so un American. What makes this country the greatest in the world is our open society and our lack of fear. What are we afraid the terrorists are going to do? Use box cutters and hijack a plane? My theory is that they have been there and done that, that is so September 11. We are now ready for that, and will not let it happen again without a fight. It is no longer an easy thing to do.

They are showing imagination by sending anthrax through the mail. (Assuming that is even the work of terrorists.) Why are we showing no imagination in our response? Send a few bombs over there. Here is a clue. They have been bombed out by the Russians for years. Why are our bombs any better?

Why can't we be imaginative? I have heard great ideas. Drop slaughtered pigs all over the countryside. (Muslems don't like pigs. They are unclean. Get it?) Capture some terrorists (any that we already have in custody will do fine) and during the 7th inning stretches during the playoffs we can forget the trial. We could let the best pitchers in MLB take their turn throwing fast balls at them. Avoid the head, just slowly break bones. Bury them up to their waist and play ball! We could even let average Joe's have a turn, if you donate some money to charity, you get to throw a baseball.

It is time to get medieval. I do not think they are going to respond to anything other than violence and terror in return. But let my airports go back to complacency. Leaving 3 hours early and standing in lines is so un-American. Europeans may do it, but that is just one more reason not to go to Europe.