Episode 29 August 12, 2006: How Eager You Are to Be Slaves

Alex talks about the Lamont/Lieberman battle and shares comedian Rush Limbaughs vies on the anti-Semitic actions of Lamont supporters. Alex has a rant (see below) about yet another loss of liberty as a result of a terrorist scare, and Gore Vidal reflects on President Jonah. Have You Had Enough by Ricki Lee Jones is featured along with music from the Podsafe Music Network.

 

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New Air Security Hysteria Ultimately Self-Defeating

August 11th, 2006

Please understand: I respect the need for security on airliners. We must try to screen bad guys from doing bad things on our planes.

But I have to ask: where do we draw the line for reasonable security?

Nineteen murderous bastards allegedly used box cutters to take over the planes of 9/11. So now we cannot bring fingernail clippers on planes. Okay.

One idiot tries to set off shoe bombs, so now we have to have remove our shoes to be checked. Lucky it wasn't an underwear bomb, I guess.

Now, its liquids you will not be allowed to bring any liquids of any kind (except medicines and baby formula) onto the plane and this will be a permanent rule (see below). What really pisses me off are rumors that they also want to ban my iPod. This is just ridiculous, stupid overkill.

Precautions are understandable, but really, where does it stop? I am fully willing to sign a form that says I understand flying is risky and that I will take my chances with reasonable security precautions. How about you? 

What I am not willing to do is sacrifice my dignity for ridiculous personal searches which add hours to the airport check-in. I am just not willing to get on this slippery slope to eventually losing all personal liberties right down to having a cup of Starbucks on the overcrowded, smelly, poorly-operated planes I must ride.

I know, I know, If I don't like it I can just drive; and I do drive now, whenever possible. But you and I know that airliners are simply indispensable for most business and vacation travel.

Therefore, I offer this: Life is risky. Suck it up.

Americans are smarter and tougher than our government seems to understand. Talk to us like adults. Tell us the risks, then let us decide. But this nanny-national security state stuff is just crushing the American way. Besides that, BushCo cynically and without apology uses fear of terrorism as political ammo against their opponents. Just ask Connecticut voters for Ned Lamont. No less an eminence than our crooked Vice President has said that by voting for Lamont over Lieberman, we have aided and comforted the enemy.

We should demand our government stop imposing hysteria-induced security measures on us. As trite as it sounds, with every liberty lost, with every silly precaution imposed that changes our way of life, the bad guys win.

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
Benjamin Franklin

 

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