CommenTerry

Where’s the Outrage Over 9/11/11 Detention and Strip-Search?

On the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, two men and a woman were removed from a plane in Detroit and subsequently detained and interrogated by law enforcement officials. They were later released without being arrested, after no evidence could be found that they were any kind of terror threat. Their detention and interrogation were prompted by the fact that some passengers had reported the three as having acted “suspiciously” during a flight from Denver to Detroit.

Now what exactly was this suspicious activity? The two men, who were of Indian ethnicity, each went to the restroom and stayed a little “too long”, although they were never in there at the same time. The woman, an Ohio housewife and mother of twins, was “guilty” only of sitting next to the two men. She is a self-described dark-skinned woman who is half Arabic and half Jewish. She claims that, in addition to being detained and interrogated by FBI agents, she was strip-searched by a female TSA official. Although the two men have yet to make such a claim, they were likely strip-searched as well.

This incident makes me mad, mad, mad! What I want to know is: where is everyone else’s outrage over this debacle? Where’s the Tea Party? Where’s the ACLU? Where is Ron Paul when we need him? These three peaceful individuals threatened no one, yet they were treated like common criminals just because of their Middle Eastern appearance. This is racial profiling at its worst. Unless they file a lawsuit, they will never get their day in court. In my opinion, being strip-searched and humiliated is almost as bad as being raped.

How are these three people supposed to get on with their lives now? They will probably suffer from PTSD indefinitely. They should sue for $10 million each – at least. In this particular case, our country acted no different than some rogue country like Iran or North Korea would have. Call your senators and congressmen and demand a congressional investigation. Do not ask them to do it – tell them to do it. Contact President Obama and tell him to have the Justice Department prosecute those who perpetrated this atrocity. Tell them to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again in the United States of America. Let’s make sure America’s pride doesn’t get turned into shame.

Should We Limit the Number of Debate Participants?

Here we go again! We now have Bill O’Reilly calling for the number of candidates at the GOP debates to be limited to the two or three frontrunners. He claims that the others are just a “distraction.” That’s a ludicrous notion, but it comes up during every presidential campaign cycle, without fail. Before a single vote is cast in a primary or caucus, people are wanting to eliminate candidates for a party’s presidential nomination.

The paring down of candidates is something that should never happen until at least two or three nominating contests are held. Why should public opinion polls, which don’t count for anything, be used to pick winners and losers, and ultimately limit voters’ choices before a single vote is actually cast? But kicking people out of debates at this point in the cycle would do just that. By not being able to participate in the debates, a candidate cannot get his or her voice heard and will subsequently disappear off the media’s radar. As a result, their candidacy will be snuffed out before it even gets started.

Look at what has happened to current GOP presidential candidates like Gary Johnson, Buddy Roemer, and Thaddeus McCotter. I’ll lay odds that most potential GOP primary and caucus voters don’t even know these guys are running. Instead of cutting back on the number of candidates that have been participating in the debates thus far, these gentlemen should be allowed in to participate as well. If any of the others, such as Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, or Jon Huntsman, had been excluded from the previous debates, I doubt that anyone would know that they were running either.

It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s a catch-22. Someone is not doing well enough in the polls in order to qualify for the debates. By not being allowed to participate in the debates, they have no chance to boost their poll numbers. So at this point in the game, I say the more the merrier. Forget about that foolishness that calls for focusing only on the frontrunners. Debate organizers should not allow polls and media bullies such as O’Reilly to dictate who can and can’t participate in their forums.

What Did Bachmann Really Say?

Michele Bachmann did not say that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation. I’ll repeat – she made no such claim. Therefore, contrary to what we are now hearing in the popular media, she is not obligated to prove a darn thing. She said that someone told her that their child became mentally retarded after receiving the vaccine and that people could draw their own conclusions from that. Yet ignorant people like Chris Matthews and Rush Limbaugh keep propagating the absurd idea that she said the vaccine causes mental retardation. Which part of “she did not make that claim” do they not understand? If they continue to insist that they are right, then Bachmann should challenge them to offer proof.

Seventy MPH Is Not Fast Enough?

The speed limit on a stretch of I-295 near my home has recently been increased to 70 MPH. Now the cops are picking off speeders there like flies. Apparently, 70 is not fast enough for many drivers. When the speed limit was 55, many of them drove 65. So the state said, well, most drivers are going 65 anyway on that road, so the legislature and the governor made that the new speed limit. Then those same drivers started doing 75. The state then upped the speed limit to 70, and those drivers started doing 80. It makes me wonder how fast they would drive if the speed limit was set at 100.

Banks Should Utilize Express Lanes

I have gotten sick and tired of walking into my bank prepared to make a deposit that will take less than a minute, only to have to wait behind someone for more than 15 minutes. Banks should have “express lanes” like supermarkets do. They should set aside one window just for those will be able transact their business in two minutes or less. Those who go up to one of those windows and are not finished before two minutes have elapsed must go to the back of one of the regular lines for completion of their transaction.

This is not an impracticle idea. For years, most groceries stores have had special lines for people who are purchasing 12 items or less, so those people will not have to wait behind someone who is purchasing two carts full of groceries. That’s just common sense to me. Those who will not be taking up much time should never be forced to wait behind someone who will be taking up a lot of time. Conversely, if you are going to be taking up a lot of time, you shouldn’t mind having to wait behind others who are doing likewise. It’s high time that banks learned this concept.

Should You Be Forced to Mitigate Someone’s Crime Against You?

Recently, a young woman was arrested in Richmond, Virginia for being drunk and topless in public. She was booked and charged with public drunkenness and indecent exposure. The fact that she was drunk in public was clearly her fault. However, she explained to the police that she was topless as a result of someone beating her and removing her shirt. But this did not prevent the police from charging her with indecent exposure. It should have. If someone else removed her shirt, then it is not her fault that she was topless.

This is yet another case of blaming the victim. A crime was committed against her and she was not under any legal obligation to mitigate that crime. In order words, someone else illegally undressed her in public, so she was under no obligation to cover up or go home. It was the offender’s responsibility – and that person’s responsibility only – to restore her clothing. Since they put her into a state of undress, it is incumbent upon them to take her out of it. Instead of charging this woman for something she couldn’t help, the cops should be out trying to hunt down the person who brutally attacked and stripped her.

How Politicians Should Diss Voters

One of the reasons our country is in such a bad shape right now is because politicians care too much about what voters think of them. We would be better off if we elected people who actually dissed the voters. Of course, that’s a catch-22 that will never happen, as human nature dictates that people are generally going to vote for people who cater to them have nothing but contempt for those who brazenly refuse to do so.

But let’s fantasize for a moment. Picture, if you will, a townhall meeting in which political candidates are participating in a question-and-answer session with voters. When a certain voter questions him about a controversial stand, one of them stands up says the following:

“I really don’t care whether you like my answer or not because I simply don’t care what you think. If you’re like the typical voter, you’re an idiot anyway. The problem is that idiots elect idiots city councils, legislatures and Congress. Those idiots then pass idiotic bills that are signed into law by idiotic mayors, governors, and president, who are also elected by idiots like you. Well, I’m not going to try to please you, so don’t vote for me. I don’t want your vote. Give it to a likeminded idiot, the way you’re going to anyway”

To cap off my fantasy, the person who makes this statement then goes on to win the election. Now, back to reality.

Random Rants and Raves #187

Whoever dies the happiest, wins.

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Democrats seem to be concerned about every right imaginable except for the right to work, the right bear arms, and the right to private property. Republicans seem to be care about those rights only.

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One of the most annoying things about the news media is that they will continue to talk about things long after they are no longer sexy.

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Why would someone go to Zacharias Ganey to lose weight? Isn’t the whole idea to losey rather than ganey?

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My computer at the office is on its last leg. I think it’s about to cash in its chipset.

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The customer isn’t always right – especially when he or she is stupid.

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If you are going to be a sore loser, at least wait until the game is over.

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To anyone who would walk a mile in my shoes: I hope you wear size 11.

 

How to Save the USPS

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is in deep financial trouble. Without major changes made soon, it could fold before the end of next year. The Postmaster General is petitioning Congress to allow it to make such changes in order to keep operating. Among the changes it’s asking Congress for is allow it to: (1) restructure benefit plans for its retirees and current employees, (2) stop delivering mail on Saturdays, (3) shutdown a large number of smaller post offices, and (4) layoff more than 100,000 workers.

It would be a crying shame if the USPS disappeared, despite the fact we now have email, online bill-paying, texting, etc. I believe Congress should comply with its requests – and soon. In addition, I think several other changes should be made. First, the USPS should be allowed to raise rates by 20% on junk mailers and those who constantly use the postal system to beg for donations. Second, the USPS should become exempt from Affirmative Action and other quotas, be allowed to hire the best people, regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity. However, the USPS would still not be allowed to discriminate against anyone.

Third, they should begin allowing concession stands to be placed inside post offices. People could use these to sell sodas, snacks, fried chicken, pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, etc., with a percentage the sales going to directly to the USPS. They smell of such products inside an enclosed structure like a post office would be irresistible. Fourth, the USPS should be allowed to use a tiered system for first class stamps. Letters mailed within 100 miles could use stamps at the current price. Letters mailed outside 100 miles but within 500 miles would need stamps that cost five cents more. Letters mailed outside 500 miles would need stamps that cost five cents more than that.

9/11/01 - 9/11/11: My Memories of That Horrible Day

It has now been exactly ten years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. September 11, 2001 started out like a typical day. It was a clear, beautiful morning when I went to work that day. I was working in Petersburg, Virginia for a company that was revamping the Medicaid computer system for the state of New York. I was one of the lead programmers performing that work. Yes, we were doing the work remotely, with some of our analysts commuting to Albany once in a while.

Anyway, later that morning, one of my coworkers who had been listening to his radio reported to the rest of us that one of the World Trade Center towers had just been hit by a plane. At first, I shrugged off that news, assuming that it was likely a small twin-engine plane or something similar. I understood the news media's tendency to overhype everything and cry wolf. But shortly thereafter, it was confirmed that it was a large United Airlines passenger plane. I then knew that it was a serious situation and that there would probably be a large number of casualties, but the thought of a terrorist attack hadn't crossed my mind yet.

That all changed, of course when we heard about the plane that crashed into the second tower. Then we heard about an explosion at the Pentagon, which later was confirmed to be a plane crashing into it. And then it wasn't long until we heard about a plane going down in Pennsylvania. Our nation was under attack. Where would this end? I felt a little bit if relief when I heard that all planes were ordered down from U.S. airspace and that there were no more reports of crashes since the one in Pennsylvania. I had to make a run to the post office at lunchtime and the place was deathly quiet. No one in there was saying a word.

I worked until my regular time to go home. I listened to the radio for updates all the way home. I began watching the coverage on TV as soon as I walked in the door. I remember seeing the first tower (actually the second one that was hit) collapse shortly after I began to watch the TV coverage. I don't remember whether I saw it as it happened or on replay. I do remember that I saw the second one collapse during live coverage. I remember wondering how many people were dying before my very eyes. That last thing I can remember from that day was watching President Bush speak to the nation.

Not too long after that, the events of 9/11 had an indirect impact on me personally. Due to the financial hardships created by 9/11, the state of New York cancelled the contract with my company, effective at the end of September. My coworkers and I were soon laid off. Fortunately, I did not remain unemployed for more than about two weeks, as I quickly found a position with a defense contractor. The building where I had worked on 9/11 has since been converted to the home of the Petersburg School Board. Every time I drive past it, I can't help but think of 9/11.

Although I didn't know anyone personally who died on 9/11, I will never forget the events of that horrible September day ten years ago. I hope no other American ever will either.