Just Plane Crazy

Don’t believe everything you hear on the radio.

Where I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, a local radio station is playing and replaying a Public Service Announcement begging citizens of the Commonwealth to return to flying. Passenger traffic in our state and across the nation plummeted after the World Trade Center attacks. But those cheery voices on the radio assured us that newly implemented security procedures have made flying safer than ever.

Bovine excrement.

Last night, I followed an Internet tip and followed a link to a government website where guidelines for airport security personnel were posted. It seems some passengers of Middle Eastern descent had complained of mistreatment and Uncle Sam has responded with this amazing 180 degree turn, making it virtually impossible to subject any Middle Easterner to close scrutiny.

Let me read, verbatim, just a short portion of those official government guidelines. Prepare to be amazed.

Background: In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 tragedies, concerns have been raised about intimidation and harassment directed at individuals who are, or are perceived to be, of Arab, Middle Eastern, or South Asian descent and/or Muslim. It is important to reemphasize that in performing critical duties, personnel may not rely on generalized stereotypes or attitudes or beliefs about the propensity of members of any racial, ethnic, religious, or national origin group to engage in unlawful activity. Specifically, there appears to have been a rash of improper and insensitive searches and other improper treatment of Sikh and Arab Americans by airport and air carrier security personnel. Exercising our role under U.S. law to carry out security activities for the safety of the traveling public should not conflict with our obligation to protect the Constitution and civil rights of our citizens. It is illegal under federal law for an air carrier or its employees to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry.

End quote.

So, there you have it. Individuals representing the demographic most likely to commit terrorist attacks in the future (based on past performance) are the least likely to be selected for random interrogation at our airports. It’s okay to harass middle aged, Middle American couples all you want. Just don’t bother that swarthy looking fellow with the Yassir Arafat autographed violin case.

It might look bad.

This shows how poorly focused the so-called War on Terrorism is here on the home front. Some cynics have suggested that the domestic crackdown never was intended to restore security but to condition law-abiding Americans to accept stringent controls on freedoms we have long taken for granted.

Until today, I might not have taken that theory too seriously. Given the nature of government incompetence, this might still be a case of innocent imbecility.

Or it could prove to be something far more sinister.

But I’ll tell you two things for sure.

I’m not planning on getting on any domestic airliner, anytime soon. And like I said…I don’t believe everything I hear on the radio.

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