"Only Look LIke Terrorists"

Once again the left proves that they only think about one's race making them the racists again.

From a Washington Post article by Eugene Robinson:

TSA outcry is really a call for profiling

He goes through all the explanations of why we should give up our rights and just submit to a total invasion of privacy and then at the end...the bombshell.

If we only search people who "look like terrorists," al-Qaeda will send people who don't fit the profile. It's no accident that most of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers were from Saudi Arabia; at the time, it was easier for Saudi nationals to get U.S. visas than it was for citizens of other Arab countries. If terrorists are clever enough to hide powerful explosives in ink cartridges, then eventually they'll find a suicide bomber who looks just like you, me or Granny.

I hate to break it to him, but there are a hell of a lot more to profiling a person than just there race.

Did they buy their ticket with cash? Are they acting odd? There are numerous indicators that someone should receive extra scrutiny outside of just "looking like a terrorist".

Unless we get pass this idea that ONLY Arab looking guys are going to be pulled aside, we will just continue to have to endure the sideshow that screening is today.

A Follow Up To My Last Post

I spent the time since my last post thinking about how to just piss off the TSA, and I figured that getting in line and striping down to my boxers and putting my clothes into the baskets going through the x-ray machine might embarrass them enough. (I'm in my mid 50's and I could care less what other people think of my skinny, but not bad physique)

Turns out the German's beat me to it.



My next airline travel date is in February and if this prblem isn't worked out by then, drop by Burbank airport and watch the show.

YeeeHaaww!!!

Heading for Texas next week!

Going to Rottfest 2010 where I'll finally get to meet some of the people that I've been "talking" to for about 7 years now on the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler. Outside of a couple of plane changes in Dallas, I've never been to Texas and I'm really looking forward to visiting. It should be a good time. Beer, guns, BBQ...not all indulged at the same time (Mheh!).

This will also serve as a scouting mission. I have seriously thought about retiring to Texas, but being I've grown up in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, I'm not sure how comfortable I'll feel in a place where they say if you stand up straight, you can see into Oklahoma. I did survive a year in Phoenix, so I've lived in a relatively flat area before.

The flight should be interesting. Burbank to Las Vegas, sit (gamble) for an hour, change planes, fly to El Paso, then to Dallas. Coming home is even more fun. I actually go east first, well SSE, Dallas to Houston, then to Las Vegas, sit (gamble) for an hour, then home to Burbank. I even upgraded to "Business Select" (woohoo!), which give me the elite privilege of boarding in the first hoard AND one (1) free drink. I also can bypass the line up to the security checkpoint, but I always arrive early (an ACD I developed at around age 30), so that won't make a difference flying out. Coming home, I'll have to trust my hosts to judge traffic getting me to the airport with time to spare.

The trip will only cost me only one vacation day, so with my work schedule (4 on/4 off)I still will have what works out to 21 days off, if I took them in a block. I just won't have any money to go anywhere. I'm hoping to go to Korea next April to visit my son and see some of the Far East. If I don't go while he's over there, I'll never get there. (Of course if the NorKo's go berserk and actually start a war...I ain't going). Looking at today's airfares to Korea...I'm going to rack up a sh**load of credit card miles to afford the trip.

Just have to set up boarding the dogs and I'm outta here.

Where There Is A Will....

There is a way.

No Flight For You, Achmed

Truly unbelievable!!

Airport body scanners violate Islamic law, Muslims say

"It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women," reads the fatwa issued Tuesday. "Islam highly emphasizes haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts."

The decision could complicate efforts to intensify screening of potential terrorists who are Muslim. After the Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit by a Muslim suspect from Nigeria, some have called for the use of body scanners at airports to find explosives and other dangerous materials carried by terrorists. Some airports are now in the process of buying and using the body scanners, which show in graphic detail the outlines of a person's body.

But Muslim groups say the scanners go against their religion. One option offered to passengers who don't want to use the scanners would be a pat down by a security guard. The Muslim groups are urging members to undergo those instead.

The only reason they are installing these body scanners is BECAUSE of the Muslims. If their religion says they can't go through a scanner like the rest of us are forced to do, then the simple solution they don't fly.

Solves two problems at once. They don't have to risk their modesty and I don't have to worry about some towelhead blowing up the plane. Flying is a privilege, not a right, so they can take their fatwa and shove it.

I Gotta Get Me One Of These

I haven't been into models for 40 years, but this is something that could get me back into it.

Go watch this video: Now YOU can own an SR-71
HT: DJ Allyn

I've only flown 1 model plane in my life and that was one of those that you controlled with the strings to fly it by spinning in a circle until it crashed or you got so dizzy that it crashed.

I had two or three when I was a kid and Santa brought me one, but being I was the only boy up at the end of our street, all the Dad's would come out Christmas morning to see what cool toy I got that year and of course they would play with it...it would crash, so I would never get to fly it. I did end up with a little collection of airplane motors sitting in the garage.

A Week Already?

I must be getting real old because I can't believe that it's been a week since I last posted.

I received a pic from Chris last night, I guess they needed some ballast for a helo flight down to Kunsan AB. He got his first ride in a Chinook.



Those are his feet hanging off the back ramp on the way home. Lucky kid!

“We control this House, not the parliamentarians!”

So says Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader, after dropping a quick gavel on a bill that dealt with giving money to the illegals. So much for the Dem's end of corruption.

Angela, a poster, at The Influence Peddler sez:

If this stands, it's the end of the Republic.

I know that sound like a line from the Black Helicopter/Chemtrails crowd, but I am gravely concerned about this. I've been a practicing attorney for 32 years, and a Democrat for 40.

We were told that Bush would destroy the Constitution, ignore votes, rig elections and disenfranchise the public. That is exactly what the Democratic leadership has just done.

If this stands, votes will no longer be needed in the house, the Democratic leadership can decide what the outcomes will be - including the outcomes of their own caucus votes.
5:27 PM

What was wrong? The Dem's have totally ignored parliamentary rule and are trying to say it was just a mistake and won't happen again. I've heard the whimpering about the Repub's holding open a vote longer than normal, the difference there was they followed procedure to get extra time, that's allowed, not normal, but it's legal.

Watch this guy and see how comfortable he is with what, I assume, he was ordered to do:

freebies for ILLEGALS that couldn't get passed on "Immigration Reform Bills" now gets tacked onto an agriculture bill.

The end of corruption?

Vegas-Why I Drive

Well here goes. I said I was going to post about my Las Vegas trip, and damn it, I’m gonna do it. Because I have a lot to expound on this, I’m going to break it into three installments: This one will deal with why I chose to drive to get there, then some observations on gambling and getting around town and finally a post on the drive itself.

I use to love to fly - but not now - not if the trip can be driven in 6 hours or less. I have two airports to choose from: Burbank and LAX. Burbank is very close, but it’s small and they put a surcharge on top of the normal airfare for the convenience. LAX is a bit of a drive, and requires either a heavy sedative or heavy drinking to deal with their setup.

Either airport I choose, I have to get there, which means either get an airport shuttle, or use long term parking – basically a push when time and money are factored. On top of the just getting there, they want you there 2 hours before your flight leaves. S0, with driving to and sitting there forever, you’ve already used up three hours and haven’t even left town.

Shall we mention “security”? You are not allowed to take half the stuff you need in your carry on, so now you are faced with the choice of going shopping when you first arrive at your destination and then chucking the stuff you just bought before going home, or checking your bag and waiting the year or so it takes for them to offload it and get it to the baggage carousel. Both are sucky options and more time, money and effort than it’s worth.

Flight time: one hour in the air – this does not include the planes taxi time.

If going to Vegas (275 miles), it’s taken one hour longer to fly than to drive without rushing. If I were going to Phoenix (380 miles)I’ve saved, maybe, an hour, but in both places I’m still at the airport, I still haven’t gotten to the hotel or house and once at those final destinations, I have no easy or inexpensive way to get around.

Now you may bring up the fact that Vegas just put in a monorail system. Yes, they did, but it doesn’t go to the airport and it cost $15 for a one day pass. Cheaper than taking taxis, but still way overpriced. Also, it goes nowhere close to The Palms our favorite casino, which is located on the other side of the freeway from The Strip

And of course there is no way to Boulder Station which is about 5 miles east of The Strip. Yeah, Boulder Station caters to older clientèle, but hey, we are old now, and this is a good place to go during the day. It has a good movie theater, thousands of machines, lots of TV screens for sports and a payoff rate that is fair enough that you can usually play for hours without losing a lot. This is also one of the few casinos that I have left with more money than I walked in with (once, and not much more).