The New Face of Security

In light of the recent attempted terror attacks on an inbound flight from Detroit, I was notified at 3am this morning that increased security measures were being employed by TSA screeners in order to insure my safety and the safety of all other airline travelers so I should expect to be delayed up to 3hrs as the TSA screeners set about carrying out their improved methods of detecting would be terrorists before their plots could be hatched and deliver the onset of panic in the terminals of every airport in the country teeters on the direct collective paranoid witchhunt of anyone who was not blue eyed, blonde haired, and of fair skin. This is the new face of terrorism, looks like every single person I encountered this morning on my way to Dulles Airport, the picutre painted by media outlets and feature films represents the checkout attendent at the hotel, the taxi driver carrying out a baggage dolly full of luggage headed to some distant destination, there is the man who scanned the bar codes on my rental car with his well rehearsed routine of checking the mileage, jotting down, then punching numbers in a machine that wirelessly produces a receipt for me, there is also the shuttle driver from the rental place, more cabbies, baggage handlers, we are surrounded by the so called face of terror according to the powers that be, these are the people who make up the backbone of society attempting to shed away stereotypes, leaving behind their homelands, and create a new, prosperous life that the promise of America holds for so many around the world. Now we are just stigmas, poster children for fear, as well a convenient scapegoat when life offers up tragedies that are not immidiately explainable.

The world has opened up, the global markets have come to the US, jobs bring immigration and with the younger generations of America so caught up in trying to attain lives like the ones they see on television, a gap has developed in a shortage of well trained educated people, tattoos, poser rock/hip, and lifestyle obessesion have driven people away from engineering, chemistry, biotech, granted there are plenty of more entrepreuners than ever before, but there seems to be such a polarization today, no middle ground of technically skilled workers, it is either business or service sector part timer, one supports the other, so here come the millions who have been educated here or abroad, absorbing the jobs that were usually taken by Americans, but are taxi drivers and baggage handlers skilled positions, well no, but I see these families pushing their kids into those skills positions in one generation and within two or three, there is solid development into highly techincal jobs, why not, mathematics, science, not too many students really seemed overjoyed about those subjects when I was in high school, but for those who embraced it, job security is not far behind.

America has put itself on notice, on trial for the failures beaucracy shall never be able to fix, as long as we treat others as the Crusaders treated their opponents, the new breed of the TSA are fresh faced kids from vocational school or twenty somethings off a three tour stint in the military. My face, my appearance is their new job position, rational observation, no profiling here at all, scurtinize everyone, sure, it varies. Some of the screeners are talkative, take in everything, conduct a bit of conversation, smile, small talk, while others, come off like straight border crossing guards, no smiles, they take your ID hold it at arm length, look at the ID, then at me, then back at the ID, play with the ID for a minute in their hand, get the black light out, then run their finger along the surface, while asking where I am going, where I have been, then pause and act as if something is wrong to gauge my reaction as if some hidden guilt of agenda would bring me to my knees in a religous like collapse for forgivenes but I play the game, put on my best phony Anglo presence, as if to say, who the hell are you, some damn lackey who makes 10 bucks an hour to hassel me when I have important business to conduct, you are nothing but a herpes wart on society, a leison, a leech, welfare baby, sucking up MY tax dollars, it is necessary to show them who is running the show, my future, my hard work, and dedication to be sucessful drives this society to prosperity, not this goon, who has watched too many Clint Eastwood movies and feeds into the propaganda spilt out by others marginalized by their inability to reinvent themselves in these ever rapid changing times.

Time to do the japanese game show x ray machine/metal detector contest of stripping down off of belts, shoes, jackets, and all other metal objects, cellphones, pull out laptops, no water bottles, all toiletries should be in a resealable 1 oz bag in viewable sight, of course there are always a small group of people who do not seem to get the fact that their jewerly will usually set off the detector, they walk through with their shoes on, watches, time after time after time, I just shake my head, maybe some people do not travel as often as I do, for me, it is just a routine, from what goes where, down to what order everything is placed, from, belt, shoes, laptop, backpack, then carry on travel bag. Things do move a bit faster than when the clampdown came down the first time. The lines were really 3hrs long back then, everyone was forgetting something, it would drive me nuts, one person might take five minutes getting all their jewelry, watches, coins, pocket knifes, nail clippers, or whatever metal wise, there was no escape, the TSA wanded everyone, especially me, shoes, backpack, sure, why not, but after the tenth time in a row getting singled out, I developed quite an attitude toward the screeners, cause it would always be me, the guy who looked like Bin Laden, and the weird cat dressed up like Neo from the Matrix movies. They always want you to put your arms out, so I would minimally knowing this would not do, so after about five rounds of inching up my arms. the screeners would give up and get the wanding over with, I would get vocal, they had heard it all by then, why I did not get arrested always surprised me, but when you watch some old lady in late 80's being screened then their is something wrong with this whole endeavor. Has it made a difference, not sure, are people more aware of their surroundings, sure, do I get mad dog ocassionly while getting on a flight as if I represent some fringe attitude of getting back at western imperalism by merely boarding the plane. I have learned to ignore it all, what does it matter, no wonder I use to get drunk on planes so often, just to block out all that post 9-11 heat coming from every person on board planes, even from the brothers and the homies, that shit really pissed me off, great, who does not want to push the specter of the boogie man onto another person, I represent no race, no color or creed, just a mash up of races who conveniently looks like anyone, anywhere around the world, has it advantages, but in this case has been wielded to attack me, puts me on the defensive at all times. Today, traveling so frequently, I just think about all the benefits constant travel has given me, airline darling, special service and the turnaround in the economy, as well as the election of a black president has helped turn the corner from the fear monger state we lived in merely five years ago, crazy how things change and for that I will always be thankful.