TSA Educational Video

Safety or Liberty?

The airport "pat-down" story is getting a lot of press lately so I thought I'd put in my" two cents worth". This is the kind of story I just love to write about; it shows off government bureaucracy and doesn't directly involve me. I haven't flow commercially since about 1995 so if my details are "off" or a bit dated forgive me.

In my understanding, when you go to the airport you get a full body scan which can "peer" under your clothing. If you refuse that scan or if you fail the full body scan then you will be required to get a "pat down search" by the T.S.A. agent which involves touching "your junk" (to use a recently adopted phrase).

The government seems to be treating terrorism like it is a police problem not a war. In America, we like to fix things after there is a problem is proved, there is no planning. For example; We have a dangerous curve in a road and a warning sign doesn't get placed until after someone is killed in an accident.

Same thing with terrorism. We have the shoe bomber so now we take off our shoes in an airport. We have the 9-11 attacks so now we can't take nail clippers on the plane. We have the cargo plane bombs so now we have to get a exam, that before this date would only have been legal in a house of prostitution in Nevada, to board a passenger jet. I didn't say every action made since, they rarely do in government.

Why does the government always fight the "last battle"? In 1945, did Eisenhower say "Let's go do that D-Day thing again, it worked so good the first time." No he didn't. He planned the German's next move and advanced.  We keep planning the last move not the next move. The Twin Towers are already destroyed, they can't be hit again.

But Teesquare, shouldn't we take reasonable precautions against an attack like that? You bet. I've got an idea. Why don't our transportation officials communicate with an ally, like Israel (are we still allies?), and see how they keep from getting their airplanes hijacked. We don't have all the knowledge in the universe, we can ask for help.

How about an overwhelming show of force?  I had the luxury of traveling to England just after the first Gulf War. When we stepped off the airplane in London the first thing we saw was not a newspaper stand. It was an English soldier holding a machine gun. We are in a war people we need to protect our ports that includes airports.

How about this for a security measure to protect airports. Build a large wall with guard gates which only allow citizens and authorized, or documented people into the country. To start with we could see if it would work on our southern boarder. Just an idea. We might even use the money that was already approved during the Bush administration for such an endeavor. Oh wait, that makes too much since.

I've  seen some of the photos from these full body scanners and they are not as good as I would expect for all the hype. One thing for sure  they can only spot items on the surface of your body. Without getting to graphic, what if a terrorist placed some plastic explosives inside their body? They are already planning on "meeting Alla" I don't think they care what gets blown up first.

I also find it very interesting that they scan the pilots. What kind of mental midget thought this up? The pilot is flying a 500 mph bullet loaded with passengers and jet fuel,  do you think he is going to bring on board a bomb? Why the hell would he bring on board a bomb? Wouldn't he just fly the plane into a building?

How about this for a scenario: You are a terrorist, and they have all the latest scanning devices and pat down searches at the airport. Why would take the chance of trying to board the plane to begin with? In an airplane you have up to about 800 passengers on those big Airbus A-380s. OK, what place could you go and where there would be more people than that, all conventionally located together, and not have to pass security? How about the security line at the airport. The photo above is the security line at D.I.A.  Since they have slowed down the line doesn't that make the folks in the airport security line "sitting ducks"?


Why are we trying so hard to protect the airplane. Every commercial airplane flying is full of "air marshals". They do not carry a badge or even get paid. Normally they are called passengers. People in this country will protect this country.  They will do everything in their power to stop a terrorist. That is our best resource.  How many terrorist attacks have been thwarted  by the actions of American patriots? I imagine more than we will ever hear about in the news.

I think I will finish up this rant with a little quote (one of my favorites) that fits this situation perfectly:  "Those who would give up liberty to purchase safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."  Benjamin Franklin, 1759

Is Colorado Becoming a Terrorist State?

Today they arrested a woman from Leadville, that is somehow involved in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who made fun of Mohammed. Then we had the guy from Aurora that wanted to blow up a train in New York City. We have had the other "terrorist type" activities like the Columbine shooting and the recent middle school shooting.

It got me wondering what is happening (or not happening) in Colorado that doesn't seem to be happening in other states.  I don't think I have any answers, just a lot of questions to think about...

Why do all these people seem to be from Colorado? Are we more lax with our vigilance here? Do we believe that for the most part no one from Colorado would do something so bad such as a terrorist act?   Are we the type sort people that don't take any garbage from people so when we notice a wrong (even if the wrong is wrong) we do something about it?

Is it a mountain or climate thing? Are the mountains just a good place to hide? Is the climate similar to Afghanistan or Pakistan so the Muslim extremists like to come here and recruit?

Maybe we are just getting good at law enforcement. They did catch the two most recent Muslim extremists before any crime was committed.  Maybe our cops are just getting good at catching the bad guys and the other states don't do it as well.

I was born in Colorado and have lived here the majority of my life. I love this state, it's beauty of both the mountains and the plains. I love the "rugged individualist" attitude I feel in this state. This is a new time from when we grew up, we need to be completely aware of our surroundings now more than ever. For those people who think terrorism cannot happen in your area, your state, your wrong.  If it can crop up in Western Colorado it can crop up anywhere. So remember to be alert and don't let the bad guys win.

Was Janet Napolitano Right?

What I am referring to is, the statement following the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day. Janet Napolitano (Our Homeland Security Secretary) said that everything "worked like clockwork" in dealing with the attack. In most people's eyes this is a terrible flaw. Of course, not everything worked right. A terrorist got onto an airplane, with a bomb. The terrorist attempted to blow up the plane only stopped by a passenger, and the terrorists own ignorance on bomb making.

Janet Napolitano is a lawyer, a good one I guess. She was a US Attorney in Clinton's administration and Attorney General of Arizona. When she said it all worked like clockwork she was thinking like a lawyer, let me explain.

If you go to board a plane and are searched, and the TSA finds you "suspicious looking", what can they do? The can't arrest you for being "suspicious looking". You have committed no crime. They cannot be arrested you until you commit a crime. From that view point, the viewpoint of lawyer Janet Napolitano, it sounds like everything worked like clock work. The criminal wasn't arrested until he committed a crime.

That is the difference of acing like a policeman and acting like a soldier. A soldier, in a time of war, can arrest you without you committing a crime. He can interrogate you . He can find out if you have plans on attacking US citizens. We have to remember that we are in a time of war. There are BAD people out there wanting to kill us. We need to act like soldiers, not policemen.

We need to do a little profiling. I don't care what is politically correct. I think that if you are wasting your time searching the 80 year old woman in a wheel chair or a 5 year old boy. Terrorists do not have rights. They are not protected by our Constitution. They are the enemy. They are here to do a job, kill us. We need to look for the 25 year old Muslim guy, with one way tickets. If our enemy was white, German-Irish guys, about 40 years old. I would hope that every time I went through the airport I would be searched and questioned, for MY OWN PROTECTION. I know it is inconvenient, who cares. You are alive.

Prosecute our war enemies in a war tribunal, not 1,000 yards from the scene of the attack in New York City. Don't put them in a prison in the center of our country, put them in a P.O.W camp. Let's torture the enemy. Get the information needed to protect our citizens. We as citizens are treating this whole war like a game. It is a War!

Janet Napolitano's department did do something last April in an effort to stop Terrorism. They put out this report.... "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment"

Unfortunately it has nothing to do with Radical Islamic Extremists, who are our current enemy. It has to do with those crazy radicals called veterans and those other "rebels" called the Tea Party. Why doesn't Napolitano just turn in her resignation and go back to Arizona. That would keep this country a lot safer.

If you were the enemy, what would you do?

I was thinking about the speech last night and how the President said that we were going to add 30,000 U.S. troops (a surge), then pull out of Afghanistan in 18 months. I am not a military leader or anything like that, I just am using a little common sense with this decision.

Let's pretend that it is November 6, 1943 (18 months before the end of World War II). What if President Roosevelt made a big speech on the radio about our troop build-up in Europe. In his speech let's say he told the world that we were going to surge into France (Like we did on June 6, 1944). Then he said we are going to train all the French people, that are in hiding, to take on the Germans the best they can, then we will leave in 18 months.

Now lets add a little information we know now that we did not know then about the Germans (our enemies) at that time. They were perfecting rocket technology, were building a jet powered aircraft, and developing the atomic bomb.

If you were Adolf Hitler and you heard your enemy state; that they were going to surge into possessions you held, then turn over the area to a new rather small French Army in 18 months. What would you do? I think I would have built up every defense I could, not trying to over reach. You would not try to take over more land, you would wait it out. You might even pull back and build up better defences of what you hold. You gain the technology of the rocket, jet, and A-bomb. You could then attack a smaller, more inexperienced army, with much better results in the end.

That is kinda how I see this action by President Obama. I do like the fact that he listened to the Generals in charge and gave them at least part of the troops they requested (eventally). But why do we telegraph our war plans with the enemy? What are they (the Taliban) developing we don't know about? We do not have a monopoly on knowledge, they can learn. It shows to me (and quite possibly the Taliban) that we have an inexperienced leader. A leader that cares more about the political consequences than winning a war. Pray for our boys as the President "stacks the deck" against them.

911 Terroists on Trial

The terrorists that brought us the 9-11 attacks are going to have a civilian trial. Where you ask? Downtown New York City. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo detainees will be tried at a Federal Court House in New York City. I am wondering what the hell Eric Holder and B. Hussein Obama were thinking?

They were captured because of the war, they are prisoners of war, they should be tried in a military tribunal. Now our attackers are so lucky to get a whole boatload of new rights, as well as a world stage to recruit more terrorists. Great job... Holder and Obama.... Great Job!

It doesn't even matter what happens with the trial now, Obama has given the terrorists what they wanted, humiliating the American people again, in their own back yard.

I wonder what the veterans of the Second World War would have thought about if we tried the Japanese attackers of Pearl Harbor on the deck of the USS Arizona. That is how this show trial is going to feel. Betrayed again by our Executive Branch...



Proximity of Federal Court House to the site of the World Trade Center....

Lead, Follow or Get the Hell out of the Way!

Headline on Drudge is that 10 U.S. Soldiers were killed in the worst battle of the year. My advice to Premier Obama is put more troops in like our Generals are requesting, or get out. Do not leave our men over there just to get killed for no apparent reason.

Defense Shield

Let's pretend that an Al-Qaida terrorist was in the great State of Colorado (not like now). For this scenario let's pretend that we had no way to locate or destroy the terrorist. Lets go a little further and say the State of Nebraska had a way to discover the terrorist plot and catch the terrorist. They make a deal with Colorado that they will help them find the terrorist and bring them to justice.

The State of Nebraska then has an election and elects a Governor that has no interest in protecting Colorado and stops all plans to help defend Colorado. Wouldn't you feel a bit bit betrayed, scared, and angry? Wouldn't your next step be to go find somebody to help you?

That is kind of the situation with the Eastern European countries and the defense shield. We promised to protect Eastern Europe, then we elect a President that doesn't care what happens to them and remove all plans for a defense shield we agreed to build. So they are so angry they won't even accept Hilliary's calls (can't blame them there). Don't forget the added fear that the Eastern Europeans have, that they are an area that once was completely ravaged by an insane madman. The next thing they do will be to go looking for protection from somebody, anybody. Who do you think it will be?