Terrorism and Other Homeland Security Threats
Terrorism and Other Homeland Security Threats
“It’s a little after 9 A.M., at Ronald Reagan National Airport, and a middle aged man of indeterminate nationality has his hand in my pants. He’s not very far down into them, barely over the belt line, but a little of this sort of thing goes a long way” (Goldberg 29). This sort of thing, airline security, has reached a new level resulting from the 9/11 tragedy. The quiet solitude stemming from an early morning layover in LaGuardia International Airport is all but interrupted by the feeling of Big Brother watching, glaring at one’s every flinch. One does not make any sudden motions to his bag or allow anyone to see him pull his letter opener out to open yesterdays mail because these actions might pose the threat of death or even greater terrorism. The simple pleasures and relaxation of travel have all been taken away like a thief in the night coming to steel the very freedom this Nation was founded upon.
In recent history, terrorism was a word only used to describe the malicious acts of pre-democratic societies, but now, the word has become a common term used in the media as many times as the basic articles a, an, and the. The United States has changed even if the country’s attitude is still the same. These changes have all been implemented for protection, but just how much do these so called safety precautions really protect this country. Jonah Goldberg describes, “Washington, D.C.,” the nations most “protected” airport, ”is full of exasperated people telling stories about confiscated nail clippers, impounded emery boards, seized tie clips, and similar outrages” (29). A United States congressman John Dingell was forced by security to drop his pants at Reagan Airport in Washington saying the security “felt me up and down like a prize steer” (Donnelly 24). People are beginning to get tired of this charade by the government to evade terrorism. Some of the people affected the most are the pilots who are “often searched several times in a single day” (24). The pilots are forced to deal with these time consuming delays without complaint or else the airlines will discipline them.
It is important to understand that airport security before 9/11 was definitely lax, and...