Napolitano - Forever Faithful

Long before the administration put out the memo telling department heads they need to make sequester cuts painful because they've already said they would be, Secretary Napolitano was already out there.

Lines at the airports would be painfully long, traffic controllers would be off the job, the borders were already less secure.  All by design of course, not by necessity nor even in truth.  Such is the way of those who choose to follow blindly.

I dare say the underlings in this administration have adopted as their anthem I Will Follow Him from Sister Act.

                          I will follow Him

                          Follow Him wherever He may go,

                          And near Him, I will always be

                          For nothing can keep me away,

                          He is my destiny.

 For the President indeed is their destiny.  Without him they are doomed to an existence of invisibility.

Arne Duncan was bad enough, but Napolitano wins the prize for best of breed for Presidential lapdog.  With her insistence that the draconian measures foisted upon us by her department are vital to our safety, why are they now suddenly being altered?  Knives, with less than three inch blades, are now going to be allowed on flights.  As of April 25th mind you. So are pool cues, hockey sticks and ski poles.  In the cabin as carry on items.

I breath a sigh of relief knowing box cutters and bottled water will still be verboten. I mean how much damage can a 3 inch knife blade or the point on a ski pole do?  Suddenly these items are safe?  Yes they are.  And because they are the agents can focus more closely on finding the really dangerous stuff like explosives.  Oh, yes, there was also some international pressure.  To be sure!

Back to the point of the sequester. The scare tactics are being employed to stall or negate minuscule budget cuts.  I might suggest doing away with the entire department.  Put the Coast Guard back with Defense, the Border Patrol to where ever it came from and everything else with the agencies that were raided to form this monstrosity in the first place.  There must be a few bucks that would be saved with such a move.

And one more thing that might help. Cancel the order for the $50 million worth of new uniforms! Along with their new bomb resistant vehicles and ammunition stockpiles. Some of those uniforms are to be manufactured in Mexico. If the President wanted revenue he could have them manufactured here but I guess since it wouldn't be considered a tax on the rich it doesn't count.  Don't worry, though.  It will be painful for the agents.  Replacements will be on them and they'll have to provide their own shoes.  Black leather. Non-slip soles. Ouch.

The Political Views Of Grandma

Remember the commercial decrying the proposed budget cuts put forth by the Republicans? The one where Grandma is pushed off a cliff, wheelchair and all?

Of course that's not what's going to happen, but considering what the Democrats are really doing to Grandma, I may have just stumbled across a campaign issue.  It seems like Democrats must hate grandmothers.

Consider this. 95 years old.  105 pounds.  Wheelchair bound.  Wearing an adult diaper.

This elderly woman, no, old woman, was submitted to a 45 minute search including having to remove the diaper because an alarm was supposedly triggered.  And it was soiled and was impeding their search.

After filing a complaint, a spokesman for the TSA explained the procedures are the same for everyone because it is known from intelligence that terrorists would take advantage of the vulnerable.  Right.  A 95 year old woman with her daughter is going to have explosives in a body cavity.

Every time there is an incident like this, be it children or the elderly, or anyone else for that matter, the response is always the same.  The "highly trained professionals" were properly following procedure.

I have two thoughts.  Too bad the "intelligence" they have about terrorists doesn't equate with the intelligence of those in the TSA that make the rules.

And two.  The election issue.  Get rid of the TSA or reform it.  Ask the question.  You know as well as I do if Michelle Obama's mother, who lives with them at the White House, had to go through such a procedure there would be hell to pay.

I think I've been looking at this from the wrong end.  I've blamed the "highly trained professionals" who are stuck doing the searches rather than the "highly trained professionals" who come up with this stuff.

It's time to change it.  If this administration won't, be sure the next one does.  Between Obamacare and this type of treatment of the elderly, it's obvious that they're thought of as inconsequential.

Death with dignity is often talked about in conversations about assisted suicide.  Well, how about life with dignity?  There should be no limit on that.  Those who insist there is no other way "to keep us safe" aren't looking very hard.

Patting Down A 6 Year Old Is Beyond Reprehensible

We really need to get over our paranoia about terrorists and flying. According to the TSA the procedure used on a six year old in New Orleans is exactly according to procedure. Fine. Change the procedures. For all of us.

They supposedly are working on it. According to John Pistole, Administrator of the TSA, they're trying to work out procedures for the less risky - like children and the elderly. Yet they have to be careful because if they slack off the terrorists may take advantage of the situation.

Right. They're going to take a white, probably Anglo-Saxon, six year old, or any child, and plant an explosive device on him/her to fool the authorities. The same with Grannie in her wheel chair ~ or me. I definitely, by definition, am elderly.  Reading this stuff makes me feel just plain old!

I struggle with just how they are going to do this unless they kidnap and drug me. Even at that I might might be suspicious if I suddenly turned up at the airport with strange things strapped to my body. I'm not senile yet!

It interests me that this child did not want to under go the search. They even tested her for traces of explosives! It was pointed out in the report that parents spend years teaching their children what is inappropriate touching yet here it's done by law! Watch minute 1:04 on the tape.

I'd also like to know how many "terrorists", young, old and in between have been apprehended by these procedures. especially, though the very young like this girl and the infirm elderly and the handicapped who might be hiding explosives in braces or prosthetics!

I also wonder if that child had been of dark complexion and wearing traditional middle eastern clothing, being a girl, if she too would have been so searched.

I rather doubt it. It would have been called racist or profiling.

I'm tired of the lament "Well, if it's keepin' us safe." It's not.

It is, however, a fine example of the old axiom, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Oh, yes. Why are pilots exempt?

The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth And The Garbage That Comes With It!

Is anyone other than myself getting tired of our government apologizing for the immigration law Arizona recently passed. First we listened to President Calderon of Mexico scold us. The photo is of a mess left behind at one of the way lays on a route out of Mexico heading toward Tucson. His people fleeing his country. Imagine that along all the routes smugglers use out of Mexico.

By their own admission neither Big Sis Napolitano nor AG Holder had read the bill before criticizing it. Napolitano even said the borders are as secure as they've ever been. She had the previous watch and is telling us, though I doubt she intended it this way, the borders are not secure now and never have been. But we're hung up on hurt feelings if asked to produce proof of legal stature in this country.

The last straw was Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights and Labor, Michael Posner, being told by the Chinese, of all people, this was a trend they found "troubling".

With primary elections under way for the next Congress, I hope the voters are paying close attention to what the candidates stand for. If it's for a strong America, one had best not vote for a supporter of Obama's policies.

I'm to the point I'm not sure I can vote for our Blue Dog. Sarah Palin, campaigning for a challenger, summed it up when she said, "...Walt, it's who you're hanging with...". I really don't think this country can recover from continuing one party rule. Actually, the ailment has to cease before it can recover and as long as the Democrats hold sway, everything we once were is going to continue to disintegrate.

The solution to the immigration problem doesn't have to be all that "comprehensive". Part of it, yes, the part about the illegals already in the country. The part about securing the borders should be a totally different issue. Do it. It's not rocket science.

If the Feds had done it instead of politicizing it way back when Reagan issued amnesty Arizona would not have had to do as it did. I hope the other states contemplating similar measures follow through and through and through until the Federal government gets the message. Don't apologize to the oppressive, don't scold Arizona, don't support those who are trying to make it into something it's not and do do your job. Secure the border!

They Will Always Slip Through

You have your ticket. You arrive at the airport. You pay what you need to for your luggage to get lost. Security comes next. All your body parts are where they're supposed to be and there is nothing untoward to set off sirens. So far so good. You get to board. As long as you don't have to use the lavatory for a half hour you figure you're good to go.

Oops. Not so fast. It would seem a nut case got through after all! According to the AP, just that happened on a Delta flight going from Atlanta to Paris earlier today.

An American passenger, after having boarded and the plane in the air, claimed to have a fake passport and explosives in his luggage. What? Explosives in his luggage after all the screening? Security couldn't tell a fake passport? Oh well, you didn't want to get to Paris in a timely manner anyway.

The plane was diverted to Maine and the TSA and other officials took over. Last heard there is doubt the passport is fake. There will probably be no explosives found in man's luggage either!

This just goes to show that no matter how stringent they make security measures, how invasive they may be to our person and luggage, they can do nothing about what may be in someone's head!

So we're being subjected to all of this why? To keep us safe, to dissuade those who would do us harm? Whether or not this particular person proves to be a real threat or not, you can be sure someone, somewhere will be and there's not a darn thing that can be done to stop it.

The Long Brown Line

If illegal aliens looked like the fellow in the picture, we wouldn't have a problem. Even with twelve million of them floating around the country they'd be easy to spot, round up and send back to their own homeland. Unfortunately, they aren't green blobs. Along our southern border they resemble the Hispanic community because that's who they are. It doesn't matter if they are Mexican or Colombian or Guatemalans, they share characteristics and skin tone.

First of all, we are facing two problems. One is the steady flow of newcomers. The other is what to do with those already here. The government, of course, wouldn't ever break anything into workable pieces. Big, massive programs just don't work because they put in place more pork than workable solutions. So they talk and talk...and talk. Arizona finally said, "Enough!"

My issues today are the illegals crossing the borders and Arizona's attempt to curb it. The bill they passed isn't perfect but since the Feds are doing nothing but talking and scolding, I'm squarely in Arizona's corner. You can bet a fair number of those turning out to protest this new legislation are themselves illegal, but how are we to know? It's estimated there are 460,000 of them living in just Arizona. Then there are the other border states - Texas, New Mexico and California.

California, where there are signs on the freeway warning you to watch for illegals trying to cross traffic. There are times they don't make it.

Arizona, where ranchers have to patrol their own borders to protect their property and families.

The Hispanic community could help the situation immensely if they would turn in those they know to be illegal rather than shouting foul. This would be good advice to the Muslim community too regarding those who are potential jihadists!

When a thirteen year old complains that he won't be able to walk to school any more, or even be on the streets without the "pigs" thinking they are illegal, there is definitely an attitude problem. Could he be part of it?

Let's face it, there comes a time to face reality. If illegals and terrorists are to be stopped from entering the country we are going to have to close the borders with inordinate man power. Period. Once within the borders, if we are to apprehend them we will have to do racial profiling. Those who are here legally should understand most of all. It's the illegals who are causing them to be questioned. Stop the illegals and the questioning will stop. It seems pretty simple to me!

Having lived in Texas, Southern California and spending a great deal of time in both New Mexico and Arizona, I know how many Hispanics there are in relation to whites. Rather than protesting a law that's trying to help them, why don't they pitch in?

Always being the victim runs thin after awhile and in this case it has about run its course.

The Terrorists Get The Last Laugh

Did you ever, in your wildest dreams, expect to witness the demise of the airline industry? I sure didn't but I fear it may be fast approaching.

Meanwhile back in the cave the terrorists are getting one more good laugh. The industry is going broke. We are now paying extra for everything including our luggage. Crews have been cut to the bone and their attitudes show it. Pilots are under trained and over tired. Forget the possibility of a passenger having explosives tucked in his BVDs. If all the afore-mentioned is true how can you possibly feel safe on a plane? I would not bet that maintenance shines where all else does not.

Never-the-less, we must be kept safe at all costs because another terror attempt may succeed. We are patted and probed and puffed with air. Now we are to be bared for total strangers to see. Yet that isn't enough. Security personnel are going to be roaming the concourses choosing people at random for more searches and swabs. Tell me. I've never, ever seen it. How many "terrorists" have been stopped by any of this?

So here we are. It takes longer to fly from Spokane to Seattle than to drive yet both Boeing and Air Bus are working on planes that will seat up to 800 passengers. We'll have to get to the airport a day ahead of our flight to get everyone through security and still hope all the gadgetry works!

You know what? The terrorists are still getting the last laugh. Every time we go berserk from a near miss they are busy figuring out their next tactic. They are way ahead of us.

Just today a flight from Denver to San Francisco was diverted to Salt Lake City. Who and what got through? A note. Pencil to paper. A bomb threat. Found in the galley.

The plane is being searched. Luggage is being "sniffed" on the tarmac. Passengers are being rescreened. Plans delayed. Nerves frayed. The industry in chaos once again.

Will they find who wrote the note? What price will we pay when they don't?

The Depths Of Hatred

Literally! It's really difficult for me to understand the depth of hatred of those in the Muslim world who would eliminate us. They take one upping our attempts at security to continually higher levels.

Now that the world is about to embrace whole body scanners, having found wanding to be ineffective, the radical element has issued another "catch me if you can" element to the battle of wits. Planting explosives within the body. In breast implants no less! Is nothing sacred? Perhaps the hatred itself. To those who are consumed by it.

Britain's MI 5 has learned that the planting of explosives within breast implants for women or around the appendix area for men opens a whole new realm of possibilities. They can be planted deep enough that the scanners do not detect them. They would be detonated by inserting a syringe into the protective sac.

I see a few flaws in this. For the men it might be passed off as a diabetic giving himself a shot. I might be suspicious seeing a woman inject her breast. Of course, if not detected in time suspicion would be moot.

I find it doubtful that women are being used for suicide bombings willingly. Once on a plane out of the reach of my handlers I'd give the whole idea the heave ho unless I was so juiced on drugs or brain implants I didn't know what I was doing. I just don't see women wanting to sacrifice themselves to the gender who has built an ideology around abusing them. Then again, it's all in what you know. If that's it and you know of nothing else perhaps you are more willing than one would think.

As for the men? We already know there are enough nut cases looking for their 72 virgins to keep attempts coming, probably forever.

Here I had just about convinced myself that the screening machines would probably be preferable to being pawed only to find out they may be obsolete before they're even installed!

No one ever accused the Islamic radicals of being dumb. They are smart and clever and full of hate. We too are smart and clever. We just seem to be behind the curve rather than ahead of it. That would seem to be a matter of motivation. For the moment they're winning.

It's time to stop the dumbing down of America so that the rest of the world feels more equal with us. We're America. We're supposed to be the leaders of the free world, leading in innovation and ideas and principles.

It's time to reclaim our place. If this administration won't do it we need to get one that will.

We Have Nothing To Fear...But The Bush Administration

My more liberal friends, at least those who are still enthralled with President Obama, have continually admonished me to be patient ever since I began hedging my support.

The Obama administration has been in place for a few days shy of a year now. They own it all. Though the "Democratic strategists" who are often foils on the talking head shows don't seem to agree. Have you ever noticed that whenever asked a direct question they always fall back to what the Bush administration did? I've got a hot flash for them. The Bushies have been out of office for a year now!

Rather than "changing" what the Bushies did wrong, it seems to me they are continuing the same practices. Mainly, governing by fear. Take health care. Mandating that everyone buy insurance or face fines or jail time. If that isn't fear, I don't know what is! Add to that the uncertainty of a plan being put together behind closed doors that the President would like to have voted on the day Congress returns. That's darned scary!

That's pretty mild, however, when compared to the national security fiasco. Why is it the American public is being made to pay for their foul ups? It isn't the American public that didn't connect the dots. It was the administration! The Islamic radicals are not boarding planes in this country; they're coming from overseas. Yet we're being put through intrusive hoops of questionable value. It isn't the American public who had a Muslim Major counseling soldiers returning from combat. Counseling them about what? Killing Muslims! It was them!

Somehow they always manage to tie it back to the Bush administration. One thing they won't be able to tie back is the decision to try these Islamic extremists in our civilian courts. What if, just what if, one of them was to be acquitted? Maybe the underwear bomber. Due to inability to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. What we we do with him?

Sorry. This wouldn't even be close to a reasonable question if the Bush administration was still in power. No way. No how. I'm not defending Bush. I am saying Obama is proving to be very much the same. That to me is something to fear.

It's Time For Profiling

I'm sorry. Our government has done it again. In Obama's remarks this afternoon he said this. "As Americans we will never give into fear and division."

We already have. To put the traveling public through what they are now enduring is criminal. Old ladies and men, children. Come on. I heard one story this morning about an elderly lady wearing a leg brace being forced to remove it. None of this is keeping us safe. It is one more example of the government not doing it's job and the public pays. Do you really want these people running our health care?

You have to understand the man with the potential explosive did everything right when it came to boarding the plane. He had a legal visa, in Nigeria one pays cash for everything so cash for the ticket was not an issue there, he was coming here to go to school hence the one way ticket. He has a home here and a home in Nigeria hence the small carry on bag. What's to question?

It's the inner workings that are lax. The inner workings are not going to be fixed by searching every man woman and child in the world. Not to mention destroying the airlines.

To be fair, this didn't start under Obama but he hasn't helped it any. By putting a state governor into the position of Secretary of Homeland Security just because she governed a border state is sheer madness. Had she resolved the problem of illegals from Mexico entering Arizona I might think she has a clue. But she didn't and doesn't. After all, she's the one who claimed the system worked before being taken to the wood shed and recanting.

That the man's father was concerned enough about his son's radical views that he warned American authorities doesn't indicate an internal family matter to me. Had I been the authority I'd have done some checking. Boy, what I would have found!

The watch and no fly lists are so huge they're impossible to monitor effectively. Obviously. Once it's found your on it, it's nearly impossible to get off. Senator Edward Kennedy could have told you about it. He was on it. As is CNN's Drew Griffin. Explain it!

Congress is so anxious to pass laws let them pass one allowing profiling. It is in our national interest! Forget political correctness and let the old ladies, men and kids be!

Oh, along with that law include this. Every member of Congress must fly commercial and go through the same security procedures that we do. No special lines to side step it. Remove shoes. Get wanded. Get patted down. Get a full body scan at airports that employ it. Get the air puff test. Stay in your seat the first half hour after take off and the last hour of the flight. Makes it interesting for a 90 minute flight doesn't it? And Senator Schumer, stay off your cell phone or lose it. No more delaying flights or having a crew member suffer your verbal abuse.

You represent us. Be one of us! Maybe then the review of the system Obama asked for might be actually be worth while!

Airport Screening As Porn?

Whole body scanners are in use in at least 24 U.S. airports. That's your choice if you're "selected" for a secondary search. Or you can opt for the pat down. Some choice.

As you can see, everything shows. What doesn't is thanks to some photo editing.

According to The Economist the British are just getting into trials for this invasion of privacy in the name of stopping terrorism. They've had some interesting problems arise.

One is what happens to the image. We're assured that the image is ghost like without identifiable glimpses of the face or hair. But a weapon can be detected. Now, here's the upshot. The screeners are in a separate room and thus would be unable to identify the individual! Then what's the point?

Excuse me? What if the person carrying an objectionable object bolts? If he/she can't be identified how would he be found? Besides, how many potential terrorists are stupid enough to try to get through security with a concealed weapon? Not many!

Then there is the question of children. Many parents aren't thrilled with the idea of a hidden stranger viewing their child in the buff. For that matter I don't imagine the parents are thrilled about having a hidden stranger view them in the buff either! Also, what happens to those images?

Now, I know the viewing of my tired old body would hardly be considered erotica. I'd still rather it not be done. As for kids, that's a whole different question. They have decided children under the age of 18 will not be x-rayed until legal consul decides if they may be breaking a law against creating indecent images of children.

To my way of thinking, viewing any person naked is indecent whether the image is or not. I'd like to know how many potential terrorists have actually been apprehended by virtue of pat downs, and now whole body scans. I also wonder when some person is going to sue the TSA for invasion of privacy for all this nonsense. Especially if it's an infant in arms or an 80 year old grandmother with a walker!

Where's the TSA?

I got to thinking after watching the chaos at the G20 just why those rabble rousers aren't on some kind of watch list while so many everyday citizens are. While we get man handled at airports they fly around with impunity. It's because they go through the same inconveniences we do knowing full well the odds are with them.

While skimming the Drudge report today, four headlines caught my attention:

Terror suspects accused of targeting Marine base...
FBI arrests Jordanian for Dallas bomb plot...
Illinois man charged in plot to bomb Federal offices...
Men vanish after taking pictures in Philly subway station...

There have been an increasing number of headlines like these that should give us pause. It's comforting to see the FBI is on the job. I wonder, however, if some of these people haven't flown around the country from time to time whether it be on "business" or not. And if so why have they not been caught?

Is it because they blend in with the travelling public so well that they are no more suspect than any of the rest of us? They are so practiced at what they do there is never a downward glance in the face of authority or a nervous twitch? If so what is the use of putting all of us through the humiliating scrutiny of the TSA?

Of course, in the Philadelphia case, the men in question had an easy time of it because the fancy "state of the art" security camera system has yet to be activated and they don't have a clue as to when it will be up and working.

We have a new Secretary of Homeland Security. It would be nice if she would review some of these practices to determine if they are worth the expenditure. Is the TSA catching anyone? If so they need to talk with their media relations people because the word isn't getting out.

Yes, we have the right to protest, we have the right of free speech but that does not include the right to destroy and intimidate. That should apply to both sides. Does the government have the right to destroy our rights and intimidate us into allowing it?

I'm beginning to wonder if they think they do. The FBI is doing it's job for a change. How about everyone else? Hmmm, I'm wondering if not buying health insurance and being fined for it would be considered intimidation?

Too Many Intelligence Chiefs?

Let's see. We have Leon Panetta as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, James Jones as National Security Advisor and Dennis Blair as National Intelligence Director. Do we really need three? Especially since Panetta and Blair are engaged in a turf war with Jones as the designated referee?

It seems to me when we're at war on multiple fronts with more looming, it is not the most opportune time for these boys to be at one another's throats!

The issue is whether or not Blair, whose job was created after 9/11 to better coordinate intelligence efforts, should be allowed to place people of his choosing in our embassies. This has been under the purview of the CIA for decades. With 16 intelligence operations, the oversight for purposes of cooperation makes sense. Their unwillingness to share information is thought to have been a major factor in the 9/11 attacks. Would it be prudent of Mr. Blair to work on the cooperation end of the deal rather than creating conflict?

Granted, the CIA hasn't been doing the best job possible in recent years yet with Mr. Blair's plan I foresee a conflict of loyalties among the personnel which would lead right back to protecting information which has failed us before!

This hit the news yesterday noon full bore yet has disappeared from sight today. It didn't even last one news cycle and I was beginning to think I had imagined it. But no. With some searching, I found it today on Newsmax.com.

It is too serious an issue to be under reported. If it means embarrassing those involved then so be it. If Jones can't sort it out Obama had better. We wouldn't want the world to burn because our Intelligence operations are fiddling. Would we?

With Ahmadinejad having won the Iranian election, we have a pretty good idea how his masters feel about the U.S. We're going to need all the good intelligence we can muster!

High Seas Piracy Is No Johnny Depp Movie

If Somalia was an oil rich nation would the United States allow the piracy on the high seas, that has gone on for years, continue? I doubt it. My guess is we would have invaded it long ago for some obscure reason.

However, this nation of 9 million, mostly Islamic, people is as poor as dirt. They're a nation of thuggery and war lords. The life expectancy for men is 47 and for women - 49. Their main exports are livestock, that which hasn't starved, bananas, hides - probably from the livestock that has starved, and fish. Their main source of income seems to be fishing and piracy.

So why has it taken an act of piracy on a U.S. flagged freighter to get our attention? Or is that reason enough? Fortunately, the Captain who was being held hostage has been rescued and three of the pirates are dead thanks to the Navy Seals.

I've been listening to the reports for days now with explanations of why this has been such a delicate situation. Other than the fact we wanted to get an American out alive, I'm not convinced the explanations are entirely valid. I don't have to be an expert in the shipping business nor an international whiz kid to know that this is costing the world billions in lost cargo and ransom, not to mention the cost of insurance and other sundries too many to list.

Here, from our very own Coast Guard is as concise a description of piracy as I could find:

Because piracy is a universal crime under international law, every nation has the legal authority to establish jurisdiction over piracy and punish the offenders, regardless of nationality of the perpetrator or the victims, or of the vessels involved. This has been a basic tenet of customary international law for centuries, and is also enshrined in treaties such as the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1846 and 1851 have recently extended this authority to include acts committed within the Somali territorial sea, and have sanctioned the apprehension of suspected pirates and their supporters found ashore in Somalia.

Sunday the Navy did what it should have done long ago. They eliminated the perpetrators. We're always looking for and bemoaning the lack of international cooperation when it comes to our national interests such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the conflict between the Islamic middle east and Israel. Why are we less concerned with the strife that runs rampant in countries like Somalia and the starvation and genocide running rampant in too many African nations?

Is it because we aren't "directly" affected? But we are! Think about what the shipping industry means to every nation in the world? How can we, in good conscience, turn a blind eye or a deaf ear? Consider all the ships that the pirates are holding, not to mention the crews. What's it doing to those awaiting the cargos and what's it doing to the families and loved ones of the crews? For that matter, it has to put a dent in the sum to be divvied up by the pirates when the ransoms are paid. It costs a lot to keep ships afloat, cargo's unspoiled and men alive.

The lack of comment from Obama on this particular incident was deafening. The lukewarm response from Secretary of State Clinton wasn't much better.

I'm glad this one has been resolved. Will there be another? Heck yes. As this was going on another ship had been taken. Is this not just as much an international crisis as the "possibility" the Iranians' will have nuclear capabilty all too soon or that Netanyahu, Israels' latest Prime Minister, is threatening to stop them if we don't?

This is happening now, in real time. We have the right, under international law, to act. Will we? Or will we keep the blinders on until it's another American flagged ship?

Welcome To The Real World Congressman!

Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), welcome to the world of your constituency! In other words, welcome to the real world.

Take a good look at this man. He could be a terrorist. No? He was pulled out of line for special security screening at the Portland International Airport. He was not happy. Nor should a 12 term Congressman be happy with such treatment. Neither am I when it comes to me! It's intrusive, it's embarrassing and it's intimidating.

Having already gone through security before boarding a flight in Eugene, he was making a connecting flight to D.C. in Portland when he was pulled from line and searched by rubber gloved TSA agents. It didn't feel good at all did it Congressman?

This member of the House Transportation aviation sub-committee told TSA officials "it was a stupid practice"! Do tell.

One thing I do not understand is why both the Congressman and the TSA admitted security operations are a "work in progress". Why? These searches have been going on and getting far more intrusive since long before 9/11. Why is it still a work in progress?

Time for another Dogwalk solution. Make every member of Congress fly from airports where they are not easily recognized. Out of their states and districts. See how they like being treated like the rest of us. More than a handful, I'd wager, will agree "There's room for improvement". Maybe that would force Mr. DeFazio and his aviation sub-committee to change that which he observed. "The TSA is off track and we are going to fix the policy."

Just make sure its for all of us. Not just members of Congress!

Looking For Terror In All The Wrong Places

I searched for the most grisly picture I could find to illustrate this post. Not because I like blood and gore and severed heads, but because I fear for what's happening on our southern border. Really fear it.

If you listen to the news at all you're aware of the war between the Mexican drug cartels. You've read about the execution style killings and the slaughter of members of the police and army who haven't been corrupted and are trying to quell the violence. If you really listen you realize that these atrocities are happening in the border towns. Our border!

This is a long way from the horrors in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's here and like it or not, it has crossed the border into our country. The cartels are having great success recruiting American teens to be their assassins. Does this sound familiar? Bored or disenfranchised kids looking for a little excitement? Do they not make up the terror squads in the Middle East? Yet this is here. In our country! Our kids!

The money is good and easy. Sometimes $50,000 and two kilos of cocaine for a successful hit. A $500 a week retainer and a $70,000 Mercedes to get around in. Our border. Our kids!

What's most frightening of all are the drug pipelines that wend their way throughout the United States. There is a big one that comes right up through Idaho. Unless we get a handle on it now, it's only a matter of time before our law enforcement officials will be found with their hands bound sans heads.

Terror is a tactic. You bet it is. It has been determined you can't wage a war on a tactic. It's time to stop worrying about descriptive semantics and get a grip on what's happening. This need not be one of uniformed troops against terrorists in civilian clothing. The Mexicans have found, as we have in Iraq and Afghanistan, it just makes the good guys easier targets for the bad guys. No matter what you choose to call it, it's here, it's now and if isn't contained on the border we'll have far bigger problems than finding Osama bin Laden!

The Whole World Is Suspect!

And we had better be watching for aliens from outer space!

USA Today reports that the government's terrorist watch list has now hit 1 million. That's a 32% increase since 2007! Now just how in the world do you keep track of that?

The FBI says 95% are foreigners. Terrific. People are put on it by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Like the local traffic cop after issuing a ticket. Did you know that can happen? There are various levels of offenses that will get you on the list but just what the offense may be is not divulged.

What makes the matter worse, when people seek redress, some 51,000 in the past two years, they find that they have been misidentified. Do you think? Some of those names include Senator Edward Kennedy and Nelson Mandela. There is also Robert Johnson. Now there's an uncommon name. I know a Robert Johnson. The only thing he's likely to terrorize is a bottle of Scotch! John Williams? Which one? I must not forget John Anderson. Age 6.

Long before 9/11 we lived in Seattle. We often went to Canada to camp or do the galleries. We also groused about how long it took to get back across the border. To come home! It's much worse now. What are they going to do during the Winter Olympics? It will be madness.

I haven't flown for several years. I resent being pawed by "security" guards for, as I was once told, "my own good". I resent the passengers who when interviewed repeat the mantra, "well, as long as they're keeping us safe". From who? The 9/11 hijackers were here legally!

There are some 12 million illegal aliens in this country. How many of those names are on the watch list? Is yours? Is mine? This is one more instance where a bloated bureauracy has run amok and in so doing become largely ineffectual. There are no specific rules for who goes on the list. There is no easy way to get off the list.

Some intent on doing us harm will slip through the cracks. Even with all that is now in place - or maybe because of what is now in place. We'd do well to learn a lesson from the Europeans who've learned to pick themselves up and move on.

One million names and growing. The more it grows the more liberties we lose. Will we ever again be free of fear? Will we ever again be able to cross our borders or fly or sail or take a train without being screened? Which one of our lost liberties will be the one where we finally say enough? Or will we always be like lemmings marching to the sea until there is nothing left?

With $3.3 Billion in U.S. Aid Is This The Best Iraq Can Do?

I've spent several of my recent posts lambasting our government and those who run it. It has been an outlet for pent up (or maybe not so pent up) frustration. Then a story comes along that makes me repent, knowing full well this is the best country in the world. Especially for women.

The AP tells us that Iraq's state minister for women's affairs has resigned. Nawal al-Samarraie's task was to improve the lives of women left poor or abandoned by the war. Calling it a "full army of widows", al-Samarraie estimates the number at around three million. This does not include children for whom they are responsible.

Lasting only six months on the job, this gynecologist and mother of five, came into it full of ideas like setting up regional offices and vocational training. But her office and staff of 18 was not a full ministry and had little authority and fewer financial resources. Soon she found herself dipping into her own pocket to try and help.

Making up 65% of the population, many of the most desperate have been successfully recruited as suicide bombers. They have nothing more to lose.

If this doesn't drive home the point that many cultures consider women as nothing more than chattel I don't know what will. Iraq. Into which we are pouring billions of dollars of aid!

We have given Iraq $3.3 billion in aid. Al-Samarraie's budget was cut from $7,500 to $1,500 per month! To care for three million plus citizens of the newly democratic Iraq!

I had concerns about a female President being effective in such a climate. I also have the same concerns about a female Secretary of State. Protocol officers will make sure everything is according to Hoyle for the photo ops, but where it goes from there is any one's guess.

At this point in time, I wish everyone success. Our new President. Our new Secretary of State and those who would help their own like Dr. al-Samarraie. This is one reason why I get so frustrated with our own politicians who seem to have lost sight of country for special interests.

We don't have three plus million war widows - yet. We should not ignore the fact that there are other countries with which we are involved who do. When we are the ones who in large measure created the climate in which this can happen we need be aware there is no gender gap when it comes to bitterness and the corresponding desperate measures. When one has nothing more to lose.

Has The "Politics Of Fear" Won?

A Detroit born anesthesiologist, a lawyer and their families including three boys ages 7, 4 and 2 were removed from an Air Tran flight headed for Orlando and not allowed to re-board. They are Muslims.

The TSA and Homeland Security has succeeded in impregnating fear into our psyches to the point where idle conversation between strangers boils it to the surface. Even if you aren't Muslim you are stripped of your privacy every time you take a flight. Talking among yourselves even puts you at risk. No jokes in the security lines. If you're Muslim, it's best not to talk at all!

What's most egregious about this incident isn't that it happened, but the fact that having been cleared by the FBI before the flight departed, they were not permitted back on the plane. The pilot was uncomfortable. Obviously some of the passengers were uncomfortable.

Okay. They were discussing which part of the plane was considered the safest in which to sit; one commented about how close other planes were to theirs. They were Muslim. Immediately suspect.

But consider this. They had been able to purchase tickets, get boarding passes, no name on the "no fly" list, and both their luggage and themselves had been thoroughly screened.

What have we done? I thought we had finally succeeded in putting unwarranted prejudice and fear behind us as we are about to inaugurate our first African American President. I think, perhaps, all we've done is replace one people with another.

"Team Of Rivals" Or Team WITHOUT Rival?

Well, it's finally official! Hillary Clinton is the Secretary of State designate. No surprise there!

Much is being made of two things. One is the question of how all these Clinton retreads can represent change. And two, can the team of rivals work together or will monumental egos get in the way.

Point number one. With the world as it is today, the fact that Obama is putting people into top offices that have a great deal of experience is of comfort. It comes as no surprise that they are Clinton retreads. After all he is a Democrat and these men and women are the ones who have the necessary experience. Hillary probably has the least applicable experience of any of them. She is, however, bright and able, has a great deal of pride and a hefty ego. There is no way she will embarrass herself in that office.

As for how they will get along. Obama has indicated he expects and will encourage lively debate. No one doubts that is what he will get. I'm going to do something a bit out of character for me. I'm going to disagree with the pundits who insist on foreseeing strife and chaos. I'm going to forecast cohesive and well thought out policy decisions as a result of that lively debate.

During "normal" times, whatever that means these days, I would see each of the strong personalities trying to carve out their own glorious niches. But not today. There is far too much at stake. This past week in India has come as a strong reminder of how fragile peace and well being can be. Look at Thailand. Look all around us. The beheaded bodies being found all along the Mexican border around Tijuana. It's a grim, grim world out there.

The world can no longer tolerate the posturing of egos. It will expect, if not demand, hardcore diplomacy from seasoned professionals, no matter the nationality.

The world as we know it has already been permanently altered with the economic meltdown. It can ill afford additional problems from a lack of strong leadership and diplomacy. I would like to believe each and every cabinet appointee is well aware of what is at stake for not only our nation but the world. I would like to believe each realizes his or her part in finding solutions. I would especially like to believe each and every one of them knows, from Obama on down, that the world needs America to be all that it can be.

It's not just Obama's team. It is our team. And we, as a nation, have been and can be again, a team without rival. That, friends, is all the change I need.