Naked Airport X-Rays

The absurdity of modern airport security showed its ugly face in all of its glory on Christmas Day. With every red light signal available flashing as bright as could be, a 23 year old “isolated extremist” boarded a plane in Amsterdam and almost succeeded blowing it up as it approached the Detroit airport. Close to 300 people could have lost their lives.

Never mind that he paid cash for his ticket. Never mind that his ticket was one way. Never mind he didn’t have any luggage. Never mind he didn’t have a visa or passport. Never mind his father approached US officials more than one time warning that his son was becoming radicalized and posed a danger. Never mind that he was under CIA observation.

Obama first addressed the nation using terms like “isolated extremist” and the "alleged bombing attack," then went back to playing golf in Hawaii. Only when the press asked what world he was living in did re-address the nation in more urgent tones, still parsing words.

Meanwhile, as the 23 year old Jihadist attempted to ignite a bomb planted in his underwear, most Americans were dutifully taking off their shoes to get through security check points; 80 year old white men in wheel chairs were having their hip replacement felt up; and the government wants us all to stand in an x-ray machine showing us buck naked to total strangers.

It’s time for Obama to finally admit that we are at war with Islamic radicals. It’s time for Obama to admit that these aren’t isolated incidents of a few whackos. It’s time for Obama to admit that we in this non-existent ware we have troops in Iraq, troops in Afghanistan, using troop incursions into Pakistan, fighting Islamic whackos in Somalia, and are now moving into a presence in Yemen. If this isn’t a war, would someone please tell me what it is.

Mr. President, I will make you a deal. You can take a naked x-ray of me before I board a plane when you begin to allow our security people to profile the bad guys. Yes, I agree profiling will not end all terrorist attacks, but it certainly will end most Islamic terrorist attacks, and make the rest of our lives a lot easier. You couldn’t even catch a terrorist with the most of basic of non-profiling standards, all of which are enumerated in the second paragraph above.

Here’s the deal. If I am looking for an Irish Republican Army terrorist, I doubt he would be an 80 year old black man in a wheel chair boarding a plane in Kenya. I would be looking for a young to middle aged white guy, with an Irish accent, probably with blue eyes, with a light complexion, coal black hair, living in Belfast, and hopefully whistling Danny Boy.

Of course, if one refuses to admit there is a war on terror, and believes there are no Islamic terrorists, one would continue to pat down granny’s bra looking for hidden explosives planted between her sagging bosoms, not to mention patting down every man’s hoo-ha looking for PETN in his underwear.

Oh ya…you know all of those new rules that passengers are not allowed out of their seats one hour before a plane lands? That same plane can be blown up one hour and five minutes before it lands just as easily. I thought I would point that out just in case you couldn’t figure that out.

Happy trails to you.