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!

Who Are The Oath Keepers?

Another Drudge headline caught my eye today. Should it be of concern? READY TO REVOLT: Oath Keepers pledges to prevent dictatorship in USA...

We know there has been an upsurge of militant groups of late. We've a few around here trying to resurface but have yet to get traction. Thank goodness!

So who are the Oath Keepers? They say they're dedicated to preventing a dictatorship from overtaking the United States. As much as I distrust what the administration and Congress are doing, I don't think it is an imminent threat. I could be mistaken.

So here's the gist. They think the government is coming after us and stating emphatically, "Not on our watch." Nothing new here.

Off to their web site. They state quite clearly what steps they are willing to take and speak of a like minded group known as the Three Percenters, who are are apparently of the "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" mode, prepared to back it up with guns.

Of interest is the claim they are successfully recruiting fire and policemen as well as veterans and active military. The photo supposedly shows a GI in Iraq wearing their tabs on his uniform. Personally, I don't buy it. One, the uniform is too clean and two, I cannot believe the military would allow it! Am I wrong?

As for successful recruiting, I can envision disillusioned GI's fighting without a mission as fair game. Then there's the story of the firefighter in Philadelphia who was suspended for refusing to peel an American flag sticker off his locker in the adult equivalent of zero tolerance policies being found in schools.

A lot of these men are ex-military and take the symbolism American flag quite seriously. It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with country.

What seems like a minor infraction of rules can spark interesting consequences. So can the lack of common sense. It's a militia recruiter's paradise!

Have We Totally Lost Our Sense Of Humor?

What's your initial reaction when you look at the picture on the left? Is it, "Oh my gosh, what a horrible affront to Hispanics!"? Or "Oh my gosh, what a horrible affront to the 12 million illegals living within our borders!"? If so I'm going to go live on his planet. Actually I laughed. I really thought it was clever and funny.

As a Halloween costume, it had been available through Target online until they withdrew it contending, from pressure, it was a "mistake".

Come on people! First we have to watch our slang because it's offensive to somebody, we've eliminated "squaw" from our vocabulary because it's offensive to Indians, now we can't even market a Halloween costume that looks nothing like a Hispanic because of the implied meaning? Who implied it? If the Hispanics are so sensitive to it do you think maybe the shoe fits?

It reminds me of my pre-chess set days when I was playing around with little figures I was thinking of selling as one offs. I showed the first couple I made to the owner of a gallery that was carrying my work.

She told me she couldn't carry them because she was "Christian". Talk about being set back on your heels!

Since much of my work has a bit of politically incorrect subtleties to it, I decided we should part company. The chess set came after and I made it as politically incorrect as possible.

Living in Seattle at the time, it was when the politically correct police were successful in keeping the military from carrying their weapons in parades and forbid the Sea Fair Pirates from firing their pistols and brandishing their swords. It's been a long time since we lived there. I hope sanity has returned.

As for the chess set, I made the Knights Mummies who cannot move and Headless Horsemen who cannot see. The Bishops on one side are Devils and the others, Wizards. It felt so good when I finished it. It's a Halloween set for crying out loud. Lighten up!

Kids can't have popcorn balls or apples anymore for fear of not so nice stuff implanted in them - or the fear of contamination, so what do we do? We give them safe, factory wrapped candy. What's the good sense in that?

Most of the older kids don't even dress up any more. They come to your door for the hand outs. Some fun. If they'd come dressed ad that illegal alien I'd laugh and probably give them extra!

I don't know, I don't know. I guess I'm not politically correct enough to go to heaven at this point in my life. Where I'd really like to go is where my dogs are. If I can't go there either, I want to go to where ever that alien came from.

President Who?

Sometimes I look back at the also rans in the Presidential sweepstakes and wonder how they would have done. Especially when the winner disappoints.

Usually I exhale a sigh of relief for many times the loser also fails on many levels. This time around look at Chris Dodd and John Edwards as examples. What if one of them had won! My thinking on John McCain at this point is that he'd probably not be trying to do as much as Obama is. That probably would have been a plus.

When Senator John Kerry ran against Bush it was one of those, "Is this the best we can do? " moments. I chuckled when I read a preview for CNN's State of the Union due to air tomorrow. Kerry chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but still seems to be in Commander-in-chief mode.

It is his contention that it would be "irresponsible" to send additional troops to Afghanistan at this time reasoning it would be misguided to have a troop buildup to achieve a mission of "good governance" since the election fraud has yet to be sorted out.

The last I heard the mission has yet to be decided causing the requested troops to be put on hold. The last I heard both are decisions the President is to make. You know, the guy holing up with his national security gurus trying to figure it out? His name is Obama - the last I heard.

The one saving grace is winter is nearly upon Afghanistan. The war will slow on both sides because of the weather. Even the expected presidential runoff may have to wait until spring since many of the villages will be isolated throughout the winter months.

Ah, politics. The President has time to agonize a while longer, Kerry has time to posture a while longer and our troops will have a while to try to remember what it's like to celebrate the holidays at home with family. Even Karzai will have a while to figure out how to rig the election one more time.

One wonders what spring will bring. It's the season of runoffs. From the winter snows. Will we run off the bad guys? Will we be run off? Will Karzai or Abdullah Abdullah win the runoff? Will Senators continue to run off at the mouth? Will the whole story be run off the front pages? If that happens, it will be time for all of us to run off!

Some Prejudices Die Hard!

Basing his reason on observations, a Louisiana Justice of the Peace refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. He claims not to be racist but rather he's concerned about the future of any children which might come from the union.

This in a town just shy of 18,000 in the latest census. How times are changing, and not. I can't help believe the gentleman truly believes what he says, no matter that he is breaking the law. In his life and his community he sees that mixed marriages tend not to last and that children tend to be shunned by both races.

I'm sure there are many pockets throughout the country where the same holds true. On a larger scale, however, interracial marriages are not so uncommon especially if you include other races in the equation. I have several friends who have had their children marry a different race. I have friends my age who have also, though it wasn't necessarily as easy for them as it is now.

This day and age I'm thinking the success of an interracial marriage has more to do with the man and woman involved far more than race. As for the children, well, that should come down to parenting. How the issue is handled within the family will prepare the child for life outside it. It should not come from the suppositions of a Justice of the Peace before children are even conceived, no matter how well meaning he may be.

Perhaps calls for his resignation should be heeded. The couple received their license from another Justice of the Peace in the same parish three days later.

When I think of interracial couples who are role models perhaps one should look at former Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen and his wife Janet.

As for the offspring of a mixed race couple, well I can think of one where the Grandparents accepted the challenge after the death of his mother. The marriage didn't last, but the boy was not shunned by family even though he bears the racial characteristics of his father more than those of his mother. All things considered, Barack Obama has done pretty well for himself.