I’m Still Not Flying

            Two months away from the third anniversary of 911 I’m still not flying, and I am advising my friends who read my Reports and Daily Thought to follow my example. The reason I am not flying is not because of some particular fear of hijackers, even though they are a real concern, but because of the danger posed to the flying public through the stupidity of the security program put in place since the Twin Towers destruction.

            Back in the days when I was frequently flying on civilian airlines as part of my military duties, airplanes were making occasional trips to Cuba. In those days I gave many an inept inspector instructions on where to look for hold out weapons. But even then they were more interested in confiscating Airborne Airmen’s parachute knives than they were in looking for bad guys. Today, I would not bother to talk to an inspector because the normal target for close scrutiny by security inspectors are more likely to be an arthritic old woman than a person of Middle Eastern origin. And, if you try to talk to them about what they do not know how to do properly you are threatened with arrest.

            Today I read still another report of the intentional ignoring of potential threats on board airlines. Americans have died on our nation’s airlines because of political correctness already. And this past week we have been told that Homeland Security believes there is inevitably going to be another attack. I do not intend to die on a flight that took off with the likely suspects ignored while some crippled up old soldier like myself had to take his shoes off or make it out to his flight without his cane.

            Like I said at the beginning of this report I am not particularly afraid of hijackers, as a Christian I am not particularly afraid of dying. But I do resent the people charged with my safety putting me in a position to “die stupid.” An advantage of my attitude is that by traveling more slowly cross country I get to see more of the land I love and digestion is not unsettled by airport inspectors, time zones, or having to show up an hour and a half early for a 45 minute flight. The politically correct mood that infects airport security must change before I give all that up.