Thank goodness 2009 is over. Maybe 2010 will get off to a better start, although from the carry-over of the holidays it seems that the road ahead is still pretty rocky.
To catch up, everyone in the world knows about the failed attempt to blow up Flight 253. Luckily the bomber was more incompetent than those who were supposed to keep him from boarding the plane. Following the foiled attempt we have seen a political nation divided. Dick Cheney could not have asked for a more exhilarating holiday gift. He popped his bald head out of the box and took aim.
For almost a week now the Republicans have used this attempt to blow up an airplane as fodder for their fear mongering. Let’s get real. There were mistakes made. We can only speculate at this time. No one has come forward with cold hard facts that “connect the dots.” All that said, it would take an idiot to actually believe that ever again in our nation’s future we are going to be 100% safe from attacks.
It was said following 9-11. There will be other attempts to attack Americans, i.e. America, on our home soil or in our home air space. The odds are totally against us escaping every attempt. It just isn’t plausible. On the other hand we sometimes get hints about attempts that were headed off at the pass before they could be put into action. And, BernieHund feels totally certain that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of attempts that we have not heard about and will never hear about.
All this political rhetoric about President Obama not acknowledging that there is a “War on Terror” is just talk. One senator mentioned that last week was the first time the President had actually said “war on terror” since taking office. I guess that senator is trying to convey the idea that our Commander-in-Chief thinks that all is perfect in an idyllic world.
The “War on Terror” has no meaning to most of us. It’s like the “War on Drugs.” When Americans think about war we have a tendency to think of a geographical location — Iraq, Afghanistan. To continue to talk about a war or wars on the unknown is hard for most of us to conceptualize. It isn’t that we think all is well in the world. We know better. It is only that to continue to discuss a war against an enemy that cannot be located on a map seems to dilute the meaning of war for many of us. We all know there are people and groups of people who want to harm us. We are not stupid. We live here too. It’s just difficult for most of us to stay focused on something so nebulous.
That brings me to the topic of airport security. I have been accused of being among the most liberal of liberals, although I don’t see it that way. However, there is all this talk about full body scans and the intrusion it will create with our privacy — and privates, or as my British friends would say, “our bits.”
It is time for us to grow up. I feel assured that any airport scanner who would be looking at our bits would be bored to tears. Trust me, as a 60-year old woman I can say with certainty the general concept is the same from one set of personal bits to another. Or, if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all — more or less.
From the demonstrations that have been televised, the face is unseen or at least unrecognizable. And, for God’s sake the television even pixelated out the outline of a penis. Of course, it was the same station that pixelated out the boar hog testicles when they were showing the world’s biggest hog. Unless I am mistaken most males have testicles and a penis. Most women have breasts. And, for all those rapture ridden evangelicals— all these bits were created by God. And, he saw that it was good. So, grow up.
If there is anything disgusting about a human body it is in the brain. Maybe more kids should grow up on farms or in the country as I did. Those of us who were lucky enough to grow up with farm animals in the vicinity never looked twice at the bits. There was never any snickering or feeling ashamed or embarrassed. The only ones who are embarrassed by the human form are those who have sick minds. But, then again, I do remember John Ashcroft covering statues in the DOJ hallways because their breasts were showing. Now, that’s disgusting!
All that aside, would we rather have our outlines shown and our safety secured or would we prefer to continue to be so ashamed of our human forms that we would rather kiss our asses goodbye as the bomb goes off?
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