On the way home this morning, from one of my forays out into the public (this time it was a trip to the bank, post office, library and grocery store), I was listening to a local talk radio broadcast. Not one of my favorite broadcasts because I don't really care for the mannerisms of the talk show host, but he does occasionally stumble onto an interesting topic. This morning the topic was the increased security measures (demands) forced on us by our great 'protectors of life, liberty and the American way', Homeland Security.
One of the callers stated that Janet Napoiitano, secretary of Homeland Security, says they have adopted the policy of not patting down Arab women dressed in their traditional garb. My immediate question is, why not? If they choose to live in America (or use American aircraft to travel) then they should be subjected to the same rules and inconveniences that the rest of us are.
The other day, I heard Ms Napolitano state that travelers have other options to get around this country and if they choose to use airplanes they are going to be subjected to 'patting down' or 'full-body scans'. That is a very hard-line stance, but I understand it is necessary if we are to respect their authority. The one thing that undermines their authority is to begin allowing unfounded exceptions. Since Arab women have the same travel options as the rest of us, why are they allowed to bypass this very intrusive security measure?
And then, the point came to mind that before September 11, 2001 and the atrocious and despicable attack by a group of Arabs on the World Trade Center, we Americans were not subjected to any security measures. Therefore, it stands to reason that the basis of this nations increased 'need' for security measures at our airports is to prevent a repeat of that awful event or something similar to it. By the way, I agree that security measures need to be taken, and not only at airports.
Anyway, I want to make this point clear, I know for certain that not all Arabs are our enemy. I know for certain that there is a subset of Muslims that are dedicated to destroying Americans and our 'devil' ways.
Now, before you get into an uproar over what I am about to say, before you falsely perceive my next statements as racial profiling, hear me out. The only serious threats to airline travel that we Americans have been subjected to have come from...Arabs. The only actual successful and unsuccessful attacks on American soil has come from...Arabs. The only group of people that have declared war on all Americans have come from...Arabs. It doesn't take a lot of intelligence to see that the US government's primary threat level is coming from...Arabs. So, why is an Arab (woman or otherwise) allowed to bypass the very security measures put into place to protect us? And, how can we be faulted for racial profiling?
I truly wish that the trend in human society would be towards more tolerance and less divisiveness, more class and less snobbery, more equality and less elitism. But this is wishing for fantasy. What is not fantasy is, that a sub-group of Arabs (radical Muslims) are out to destroy our American way of life. This is not being racist, this is not racial profiling, this fact has been well-documented.
Every person who boards an airplane needs to be subjected to the same level of security scrutiny as everyone else. No exceptions.
Irrespective of any religious, racial, or cultural differences, it is my observation is that human society is evolving towards more aggression towards each other. More people are resorting to violence as opposed to conversation to resolve differences. We are trending towards less tolerance. We are becoming less concerned about each others right to privacy or to live peacefully. More of us are preying on each others kindness.
It is becoming easier for people to chose to lie to get what they want. More people are favoring their own selfish needs over what is best for society as a whole.
And because of these ever-increasing threats to our sense of 'personal security and safety' we are isolating ourselves further away from each other, which only exacerbates the problem.
It is unfortunate that increased levels of security are becoming a necessary part of life. We need security measures that are not intrusive while not infringing upon our freedoms.
Until diplomacy and tolerance take their rightful place in the forefront of human evolution we will be forced to depend on technology to protect us, and that means everyone.
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