9/11 Redux - Paranoid Or Prudent

There have been a lot of instances lately where I believe the Islamists who would destroy us are getting their fill of belly laughs. The reasons for such have been making the headlines far more frequently as 9/11 once again approaches.

First we have the continuing flap over building a Muslim cultural center a couple of blocks from "ground zero" coupled with less than comforting remarks by the Imam and his wife. Then there is the young man who is the financier who refuses to answer any questions. You'll note everything is carefully couched so it could mean anything.

Then there is the incident where two men of Yemeni descent, supposedly unknown to one another, got separated from their luggage which contained curious devices. They ended up in Amsterdam, their luggage in Dallas. If there is anything typical about this story it's the luggage part. Getting separated from the owners. This happened far too frequently long before the original 9/11. It's just gotten worse since.

Today there was an
incident in Tampa where nine Pakistanis were removed from a flight due to an inappropriate comment that made a flight attendant feel uneasy.

One common thread running through these "incidents" has been no clear cut evidence of wrong doing or even the idea of it has surfaced. Still. The frequency. The nationalities. The actual actions. How can one not be edgy? At times I feel they are laughing at us while doing their research, knowing full well we can only surmise.

One thing that can be said with certainty is that all the airport security, body scans, pat downs, luggage searches, etc. haven't done one thing to eliminate dangling the carrot in front of the hare! And laughing when the hare can't quite reach it.

What Manner Of Candidate Have We Chosen?

As you may know, I've become intrigued with The Modern Whig Party. Reviewing the current batch of primary results is the reason why. I don't think we have a clue as to who or what we've elected just to boot out the incumbents.

John McCain we of course know. He won. But it's $20,000,000 later! Look at some of the other's who have prevailed. Rand Paul, a Tea Party favorite in Kentucky. My assessment of him is that he's a bit odd. The same goes for the very unlikely Alvin Greene from South Carolina. Where did he come from? What do either of them stand for - or against?

There's the race in Alaska where incumbent and no friend of Palin, Lisa Murkowski, is on the ropes against a total newcomer, attorney Joe Miller. Some have had Palin and Tea Party backing, some not, but all are enigmas!

Let's look at the Tea Party types. You don't know from state to state exactly what it is they stand for. No sure bet there. Then there are the Parties themselves. In my state, Idaho, Palin endorsed and the party chose one Vaughn Ward to be their boy. He lost. Raul Labrador won and is now being denied Party help because he wasn't the one the Republicans wanted. They are literally giving the seat to incumbent Walt Minnick, who is a bit of an enigma himself, being a Blue Dog.

A similar situation has occurred in Washington for Cathie McMorris Roger's House seat. They have a "top two" primary. Rogers is Republican, the number two is Democrat yet the party is denying him help because he isn't "their boy". The whole scenario is weird.

We have a prime situation here where the Modern Whigs could make inroads. We have a member of the State House who is afoul with the law for big time tax issues. As in he doesn't pay them. He was unopposed in his primary. A shoo in. Finally a concerned citizen has thrown his hat in the ring as a write in. At least it's opposition of sorts though he hasn't a prayer of winning unless some people get behind him and get him known.

This is where the progressives have the right idea. Never let a seat go unchallenged no matter the chance of winning. If nothing more it gets a potentially good candidate exposure. It's also where the Modern Whigs could make inroads. Recruit someone to run under their banner no matter how unlikely a win. People would begin to know the name. People would begin to learn there is an alternative to just about everything that is wrong with politics as is .

'Owl' Be Darned! I'm Totally Whigged Out!

I knew if I alluded to it often enough, or called for it long enough I'd find it. As the people who founded it say, "The Party for the rest of us."

There is is a party for moderates just getting cranked up. They call themselves The Modern Whigs. I've been doing a lot of searching since I saw the article about them in this mornings Wall Street Journal. They are a real organization with an extensive web site and they have the obligatory page on facebook .

They've chosen the owl as their symbol after the original Whig party. A sign of wisdom. Let us hope!

Of note are the people who have pulled this organization together - soldiers, according to the Journal, who were tired of the bickering that filled TV screens in Iraq and Afghanistan. Have you been wondering how the soldiers feel? Well, a group of them are certainly letting it be known how they feel! They're even having some small successes running candidates.

For you who are dissatisfied with the current political situation, it may be worth checking them out. I like the idea that they are young and from the few profiles I've scanned, they've attracted some people with pretty substantial credentials. If there is substance behind the credentials there may be some promise. I'll be looking at that, having been totally hoodwinked once.

I love owls. There's something regal about them yet unobtrusive. Dignified.

I'm going to read more.

Take Your Grubby Hands Off Me!

We give up our right about being searched without cause when we agree to fly. First it was wanding and removing a belt. Inconvenient but one could live with it even in airports where such precautions were ridiculous. That was back in the days of hijacking where you might end up in Cuba.

Then came 9/11 and those with the power to regulate went mad. Absolutely mad. And we allowed it. We bought in to the "keepin' us safe" mantra. Please. Come to your senses. It has gotten more and more intrusive over the years to the point where we have whole body scanners! They've already been abused, it's seldom reported but it is reported. In one instance it was among TSA employees with one of their own, belittling a man's lack. Nice huh? These are the same people who have the right to give you a pat down.

I'm funny about who touches me and where. It does not include a total stranger at an airport from random selection. Can it get worse? You bet.

"Big Sis" is experimenting with the ultimate insult in Boston. Screeners can now do a slide down of your body with their palms down including your private areas. An "enhanced pat down" they call it.

I'm sorry. I do not believe that under any circumstance this is necessary. Whoever the Neanderthals are that made this legal in order for people to fly should have to experience it themselves. That includes everyone from "Big Sis" Napolitano to Nancy Pelosi. Can you imagine Pelosi taking it? From Harry Reid to Barack and Michelle Obama.

I don't know what can be done, but it's really time for the American people to say "Enough! We'll take our chances." No more removing shoes, no more having your luggage rummaged through and items that don't fit ridiculous specifications confiscated. No more items from your luggage stolen. No more luggage that never catches up with you. No more pat downs nor full body scans.

I want to be free again. Like it was when flying was fun and people wanted to do it. To travel and explore far away places without having to spend extra hours, hours, being manhandled by strangers who seem unable to use the tools they've been given in the first place. Instead of adding more, just stop.

War Takes It's Toll On Our Civilians Too!

I understand Karzai being concerned about the number of civilians being killed in the war. It is, however, part of the price. Civilians die.

We have our own issues with it. Often the aftermath of service. Something snaps, as happened with a 23 year old Iraq veteran in Michigan. A mother about to give birth, a 13 month old girl and three dogs perished before the young man took his own life.

As I watched the troops crossing the border into Kuwait last evening, I wondered how many of them will have trouble re-adjusting to civilian life. The life they're leaving behind in the war zone was one for which they were ill prepared before deployment. It's not the fault of their training, it's the manner of war. No human should be asked to do to another what is required by war. But we wage them never-the-less.

This young man enlisted before he had even graduated from high school. What could possibly have prepared him for what he would face. And then, free from the actual presence in it, something snapped. Who knows how frail the human psyche can be. How much with which one is able to cope.

Even the comics address it. Look at Wally Winkerbean. It gives you an idea. Every loud noise makes you jump, you wonder who in the crowd may be a suicide bomber. How do you shake it? You're home. You're safe. It doesn't always compute.

I know. I dated a Ranger who did three tours in Vietnam. He was, to put it mildly, a mess. The relationship didn't work out. I was afraid of him.

But a wife. A little girl. Dogs. The family support mechanism. No longer recognized, no longer trusted. Dead. Those are our civilian casualties. There are far too many of them.

To whom do we complain?