Mark
Twain
once
said….”Suppose
you were
an
idiot,
and
suppose
you were
a member
of
Congress;
but I
repeat
myself.”
Even
though
he died
nearly
one
hundred
years
ago, his
comments
are
still
applicable
to our
political
situation
of
today. I
would
give
anything
to have
his
comments
on our
current
situation
in this
country.
As an
optimist
I am
committed
to try
and find
the
good,
which
must, I
say,
must
exist in
all
aspects
of our
lives.
Or at
least I
hope
that it
does.
When it
comes to
politics,
I have
to say
it does
try my
patience
and my
very
soul to
do so. I
swear it
appears
to me
that the
people
running
this
country
just
don’t
stop to
think
things
through
and
consider
what
happens
when
they
pass
laws and
regulations.
Someone
once
said
that for
every
action
there is
a
reaction
and this
is
certainly
true
inside
the
Beltway.
Take for
instance
this
little
bon mot.
As a
result
of the
events
of 9/11
we have
had our
lives
changed
in a
drastic
manner
in just
about
everything
we do
these
days.
Woe be
to the
poor
person
who
finds
themselves
in an
airplane
five or
six days
each
week. I
don’t
know if
you
could
pay me
enough
to put
up with
all of
the
hassle
these
folks go
through
just
trying
to get
from one
part of
the
country
to
another.
Unless
you’ve
been
living
in a
vacuum
somewhere
for the
past few
years,
you know
what I’m
talking
about.
We have
to get
to the
airport
hours
early,
carry
certain
kinds
and
sizes of
bags. We
can’t
lock our
stuff up
without
using
special
locks.
We can’t
carry
various
items in
certain
sizes
since
these
can be
considered
dangerous.
This
list
changes
almost
daily.
One day
you
can’t
carry a
lighter,
the next
day you
can. One
day you
can
carry a
bottle
of
shampoo,
the next
day you
can’t.
Little
eighty-year-old
ladies
coming
into the
airport
on a
walker
are
subject
to be
searched
for no
apparent
reason
at all.
Give me
a break,
some of
these
women
can’t
carry
their
luggage,
you
think
they can
handle
an
AK-47?
So we
have
thousands
upon
thousands
of men
and
women
watching
us,
searching
us,
evaluating
us, and
listening
to us in
case we
say some
forbidden
words or
some
sort or
another.
This is
all well
and good
and
seems to
make
good
sense to
me in
light of
the
current
situation
in the
world.
However,
as they
say…a
chain is
only as
strong
as its
weakest
link.
You’d
think
that the
airports
in our
country
would be
secure
all of
the
time,
wouldn’t
you? I
mean
24/7 365
days a
year…sound
right to
you?
Does to
me.
Well,
Bunkie,
think
again….a
recent
survey
showed
that
most
airports
are
closed
from
midnight
until
four or
five in
the
morning.
What do
you
think
happens
during
this
four or
five
hour
period?
Nothing.
The
employees
coming
to work
don’t
get
searched,
don’t
pass
though a
metal
detector….
The
hidden
cameras
showed
incoming
employees
with
bags,
boxes,
and
bicycles
walking
though
the
airport
entrances
with no
one
stopping
them or
asking
them any
questions.
The
guard
just
tells
them to
“ just
sign in
on the
paper
log and
show
your id
card, if
you have
one.”
Don’t
have
one?
Well, be
sure and
get one
before
you come
back in
the
morning.
Don’t
you just
love it?
You
don’t
think
the bad
guys
would be
willing
to stay
up late
and do
some
nasty
nasties
to some
of our
planes
do you?
I bet
they are
already
there.
This is
like one
of us
leaving
our
house
unlocked
part of
the time
we are
gone. If
you
aren’t
secure
100% of
the
time,
then
what
does it
do to be
secure
at all?
Closing
the barn
door
after
the cows
are gone
won’t
get the
job done
any more
than
closing
the door
only ten
hours a
day,
will it?
So when
our
friends
at the
TSA sat
down and
thought
about
securing
the
airports,
do you
suppose
some
duffus
had a
great
idea to
save a
few
bucks by
not
securing
the
areas
and
checking
the
incoming
employees
all of
the time
rather
than
just
part of
the
time? I
mean
we’re
only
talking
about
people’s
lives
here.
Including
yours
truly.
Makes
you
wonder
what
they do
up there
all day?
Truth be
known,
they
probably
don’t do
much…most
likely
they use
college
level
interns
to do
the down
and
dirty
work and
then
take
their
end
product
and lay
claim to
it…..
But
then,
that’s
not too
optimistic
is it?
Oh well,
I can’t
be
positive
all of
the
time….neither
was
Twain.
