TSA and Terrorism Seen Another Way
Recent changes to the screening process in airports across the country have created huge controversies. News reports and editorials are resounding that people are uncomfortable at best, outraged at worst by these new policies. Many see it as an unnecessary invasion of their privacy. In fact 4th Amendment Constitutional issues have been being raised concerning the perceived unlawful “search and seizure” of persons. The Amendment’s purpose was to protect Americans from being searched for “no good reason” and without probable cause that they had committed a crime or had intent to do so.
The TSA (The Transportation Safety Administration) has become the subject of parody, scrutiny, ridicule, and even down-right hatred as Americans expecting to fly must either go through full-body scanners which reveal everything, or be subjected to a thorough pat-down which includes the touching of private body parts. Many are outraged at seemingly being treated as criminals.
Americans have slowly acclimated to living in a post-9/11 world. A decade ago family members could go to the gate and say goodbye to or greet their loved ones either leaving or arriving on a flight. A traveler simply got his/her ticket and got on the plane. There was no security screening at all. For years there have been complaints that the TSA, in an effort to not profile anyone, would hassle old ladies and children and those who otherwise gave every appearance of innocence while letting 25 year old males of Arabic descent in turbans go through virtually unchecked. Mainly for fear of being accused of “racial profiling.” Now in a move many feel has added great insult to injury, things have been ratcheted up a notch! Now instead of the mere inconvenience of having to stand in long, winding lines, remove one’s shoes, remove all metal from one’s pocket, etc., a person now has to go through a full-body scan, or choose an invasive pat-down. Most feel they are between the proverbial “rock and a hard place.” Of course for an annual fee you can expedite the screening process by getting an iris scan and fingerprints done and not have to wait in the line for screening with the other peasants!
In a post-9/11 world things have changed – ok, Americans get that. But what most Americans are not getting is why they are being treated as suspects, even criminals in their own country. While it is true that the reality of this world necessitates we all give up a little convenience in order to ensure our own safety and the safety of others, it is also true that technology and procedure always lags well behind the mind of a criminal. Even President Obama himself recently commented that these latest security procedures were mainly in response to the Christmas Day bomber of 2009. That means the president admitted we were at least 11 months behind the terrorists and their plotting. I am reasonably confident that the next attempted attack will be something which is beyond the detection of current technology. Ann Coulter recently asked rhetorically, “what is going to happen when a terrorist tries to board a plane with some sort of bomb in their anal cavity?” There comes a point when you just have to say I am at peace with my own mortality and everything is in God’s hands.
Let me pose another question for your consideration. Do you believe the TSA or any officials in our government really expect to find anything? Do you really believe that they are expecting to apprehend persons with explosives in their carry-ons or somehow attached to their person? What they are really doing is what we often do. They are trying to make themselves feel better and further, somehow make the American public feel better. What we see going on is, in essence, the placebo effect. For all the massive amount of money, manpower, and inconvenience, odds are that virtually no act of terrorism will be stopped. In order to understand what is going on we need to consider two words. I give you the words and their Webster’s dictionary definitions.
Subjective – existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought.
Objective – something that one’s efforts are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target.
I have heard the statement more than once by an overzealous individual, “let’s do something, even if it’s wrong.” To some merely doing activity makes them feel better – like they are somehow contributing to the cause. What we see going on with current TSA policy implementation is that, although they are claiming “objectivity,” they are approaching it “subjectively.” In other words their official statements of purpose celebrate the intended outcome of protecting people through a series of means specifically designed to accomplish that goal. In reality, they are clearly “subjective.” In other words, the only place this goal is realized is in their minds! They can feel good about themselves all day, or until the cows come home, as they monitor scanners, compare driver’s license photos with a person’s face, pat down small children, talk rough to old ladies, and project an image of superiority and intimidation to the helpless public, but they cannot stop terrorism and deep down they know it!
All too often 1 or 2 people fool us therefore our human psyche is such that we cannot stand the thought of being fooled yet again, therefore the sky is the limit as to what we will do to avoid being made the fool of again. Whether it is the TSA, the federal government, the Obama administration, or whoever else, they do not want to be made fools of again and if it means treating Sr. citizens like middle eastern terrorists in the process, they feel justified in doing so. Welcome to the age of terrorism! Terrorism is not just about blowing things up as we have come to understand. It is also about striking fear, intimidation, and distrust in the hearts and minds of people. When the terrorists hiding in caves in Pakistan hear about the long lines at airport security, the controversy over full body scans, old women being frisked, children crying and screaming as strangers grope their bodies, and the President has to defend the policy, as pilots protest, as general chaos and disruption ensue, these terrorists smile and feel that Allah is quite pleased with their efforts, and that their reward will be great.
For those who do not have the military might to defeat us, their weapons are fear and intimidation, and ironically most of it is brought on by ourselves and our own government. Our soft stance toward “terrorists” coupled with our tough approach to our own innocent, law-abiding people, makes a mockery of all that is decent. Indeed Satan is the author of confusion and he is doing well these days my friends!
In Christ,
Pastor Allen Raynor