Press One For English

So when was the last time you flew on a plane? Did you get to the airport at the recommended 1 hour before flight time? Was there a long line at the TSA security gate? Did you wear your special "air plane" shoes? Fun times! Single file line. One at a time. Emptying your pockets into that little plastic tray or bucket. Taking your shoes off and placing them in another tray. Walking through the door framed shaped metal detector. Forgetting about the pack of gum you have in your shirt pocket to help "pop" your ears on the flight while chewing it. Having the aluminum foil around the gum setting off the alarm on the metal detector. Backing up. Dumping your gum in yet another little plastic bucket so it can now be x-rayed. Walking back through the giant door frame without any alarms. Now you sigh a big sigh of relief. You made it. After 45 minutes of standing in line, all your personal property in several different plastic trays, standing there sock footed, you are now ready to begin your journey to the appropriate gate of which your flight is departing. Just for fun, go to http://www.tsa.gov/ and count the items that you're not allowed to carry on to a plane with you. I counted 73. I'm sure there are more.





An article in The Arizona Republic dated November 11, 2007, briefly describes the measures they will be taking at the Super Bowl in Arizona as far as security goes. It states that a 16 month planning effort was made and outlined by the Arizona Tourism Safety and Security Conference in Scottsdale. Included were 40 Police Chiefs, Arizona Department of Public Safety, the FBI, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. All this to discuss how to keep 70,000 fans that will be attending the game and 150,000 visitors the week of the Super Bowl safe. Officials would not reveal how many people are involved in security because that could be useful information to terrorists they said. We do know this, fans will enter through a secure 300-foot perimeter around the stadium and must pass through metal detectors. This information comes from Brady Castro who is the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee Vice President of Operations. He goes on to say, and I quote, "...it's like getting into the airport."





You can also go to the Six Flags' web site and find this: in keeping with our family-friendly atmosphere, and for health and SAFETY reasons, Six Flags strictly ENFORCES a dress code. Park admission may be denied if clothing is deemed by management to be inappropriate.





Thee Dollhouse, a gentleman's club in Raleigh, NC. vows that a strict dress code is enforced; hats, jeans and t-shirts are not allowed. How many times have you gone to a Denny's and seen a sign on the front door that reads, "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service"? Most clubs or bars these days REQUIRE you to be 21 years old to get in. And how do these clubs and bars protect themselves? They check I.D. at the door, or border if you like. To take it a step further, there are some clubs that will wave this magic wand all over your body to check for weapons. You know, those hand held metal detectors. They are protecting their "borders".





I can understand why the hassle at the airport. Nobody wants another 9-11. As frustrating as it is to check on to a plane, we now live in a world that requires this type of extra security. Is it fool proof? I don't think so. But I do think it's sad when Denny's, clubs and bars, amusement parks for families, and even topless bars have tighter security at their borders than the entire country of The United States of America has at its border. Had we had tighter borders, enforcement of laws that are already in place, 9-11 would have NEVER happened. Was 9-11 not tragic enough? What will it take to wake our corporate America runned politicians up? Let's just pretend that there was a person of middle-eastern dissent trying to board a plane with one of the forbidden 73 items and this person got a little out of hand and tried to force themselves past security. And let's just pretend that this person was able to get by security or cross the border into the airport. And let's pretend again that 2 TSA security personnel shot this person in the buttocks to stop them and bring them down. These security personnel would be veered as "hero's" for saving the lives of hundreds of innocent citizens. But in "real" life, let 2 border security officers shoot a known drug smuggling illegal immigrant crossing into this country illegally in the buttocks, they get 10 and 11 years in prison. Doesn't add up does it? Why the cover up? Why are our laws not being enforced and when they are, why are we throwing our border protectors in prison for doing their jobs? Why does Denny's have stricter rules as to who gets across their borders than our own country does when it comes to our nations borders?



I will end with an email that a friend sent to me. It is called "The Bird feeder". Some may have already seen it, but it goes like this: The Bird Feeder:


I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. Soon the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, and the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill the feeder when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal. Now let's see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English; Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.