'This Is The World That We Live In'

Thanks Rosanna Scotto, for letting me know that. The Channel 5 local news anchor informed me of that after reporting breathlessly about the latest security scare at Newark Airport this morning. Of course it turned out to be nothing more than the ordinary radiation emitting from someone's packed computer monitor that forced the closure of the entire American Airlines terminal, delaying thousands of passengers.

Anyway, Rosanna, thanks for letting me know that 'this is the world that we live in,' especially considering that you and your broadcast play such a terrific role in bringing that world to me each day by reporting every single false alarm "lockdown","security breach", "home invasion" or whatever other ridiculously dramatic new scare-phrase you have invented to keep us all glued to the screen!! This is for you!

Pat Down Panic

My two cents about the Pat Down Panic currently raging in the country as we enter the busiest travel time of the year:

Having traveled to Israel a few times, I strongly agree with others who say that that is one country that doesn't fool around when it comes to airline security. They go up and down the line and interview every single passenger before they board the plane, trying to weed out those they deem suspicious. And they then take those people into another room for a more intensive interview.

My conclusions about the controversy currently raging about the pat downs and full body scans:
1. We should adopt the Israeli method. It is the only true way to really deter terrorists from getting on our planes.
2. We most likely will never adopt that method because the airlines (and maybe even the passengers themselves?) do not want to reduce the number of flights that are now available and I would assume interviewing every passenger would have to lead to more spacing between flights. Less flights would hit the airlines' profit centers and many of them are already struggling. Also, having less flights is just not as convenient. And let's face it.  We as Americans expect a certain level of convenience in flying. It's supposed to be the fastest way to get from point A to point B!
But the truth is I don't think we can have both the level of security really necessary to deter terrorists and the convenience we are already used to.
And finally,
3. The chances of a terrorist being on your plane are so much slimmer than you meeting your demise as a result of a health issue like heart disease or cancer that I just have to add: isn't this issue being completely overblown? The threat is so incredibly minimal. Our exaggerated fear of terrorism has taken what used to be a rather pleasant way to travel and made it so incredibly stressful that virtually all the fun has been sucked right out of it. And that is a big shame, and, in a way, a victory for the terrorists already.