On Bravery, Terrorists, and the TSA
In January 2009, one Chesley B. Sullenberger, a pilot, landed his passenger plane in the Hudson River with no loss of life. God bless him. In December 2009, one Jasper Schuringa, a Netherlands film maker, John Wayne-style, leaped across fellow passengers to stomp out a potentially catastrophic fire started by a terrorist loaded with explosives. God bless this hero, too. The terrorist purchased a ticket to fly on a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight, with no intention of its safe arrival. As for the terrorist, I say we try the man in a court of law and, if found guilty, hang the bastard in a public square in downtown Detroit.
The TSA is another half-feathered bird altogether. Are they heroes or buffoons? The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)”protects the nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.” (Their definition.) In December 2009, they read or were told about the terrorist flying to Detroit with Jasper stomping on his head. They overreacted as usual, and instigated a book of new rules, not remembering that if they’d enforce the ones they’d already instituted, we’d be plenty safe.
Cut to David H. Steinberg flying out of Aruba to the United States with his two-year-old daughter. The TSA, in their infinite wisdom and serious rule making capabilities, decided that the two-year-old must be separated from her pillow and blanket an hour prior to landing. Note that the pillow and the blanket were furnished by the airline and were on board before the passengers struggled to their seats. Note that an airline pillow and blanket are not considered a dangerous weapon. Yet, the sleeping two-year-old with a pillow and a blanket was deemed by TSA as a serious threat to God knows what. The fact is they don’t know why they made the rule other than they could . . . so they did.
One thing is clear. The fellow that runs TSA is a classic idiot, even if he graduated from Harvard with an advanced degree in serious rule making. He sure isn’t in the same category as Chesley B. Sullenberger, or Jasper Schuringa, or for that matter, Ted Williams. Those folks are heroes who can think on their feet and are not in fear of a two-year-old sleeping girl wrapped in her pillow and blanket. Come to think of it isn’t an outfit that would wake a two-year-old to take her pillow a terrorist organization? I ask what do we do about them?