Does 9-11 Ring Any Bells
By Rachel Marsden | Bio
rachel@politicalusa.com
6/19/2002
Immediately prior to boarding a plane from Phoenix, Arizona,
to Washington, DC, last week, I was pulled aside at the gate by
airport security. The guard informed me that I had
been randomly flagged by the computer system to undergo a full
security check that would involve a search of my carry-on bag,
as well as a wand scan of my running shoes and my entire body. The
dark-skinned man behind me who was waiting to undergo the same
kind of search looked rather annoyed, to say the least. He
rolled his eyes and sighed as he stared anxiously at his watch. He
turns to me and says, "God, this is the second %^&#
time I've had to go though this on the same damn trip! I
really don't know what the hell the big problem is!"
Hey buddy, does the date September 11th ring any bells? Personally,
I was thrilled to see airport security visibly cranking it up a
few notches. Merely knowing that one could be subject
to a thorough search, at any time, ought to be a definite
deterrent to any terrorist type who might feel compelled to use
innocent air travellers to hone his craft.
I figure a little pre-boarding inconvenience is a small price to
pay for peace of mind. I couldn't help but think that
perhaps the agitated fellow behind me felt that he was being
subject to racial profiling. He was middle-aged and
brown-skinned-just like every single one of the terrorists
involved in the September 11th attacks, and Jose Padilla (a.k.a. Abdullah
al-Mujahir)-the man with links to al-Qaeda who was recently
arrested at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in connection with a plot
to detonate a "dirty bomb" (a conventional bomb laced
with radioactive material) in a major American city. Let's
face it--blonde-haired, blue-eyed twenty-something Catholics
aren't the ones going around blowing up airplanes. If
they were, I'd want all of them singled out for special security
checks, too.
Libertarians are constantly whining about how these safety
measures are an affront to one's freedom, and represent a
violation of civil rights. They make ludicrous,
ignorant and far-fetched comparisons to Nazi Germany. But
what about my right to walk around Washington, DC, or take a
plane trip without having to worry about some fanatical
fruitcake detonating a bomb that he was able to smuggle into the
country because airline and/or border security was concerned
about offending his sensibilities?
Having to take a few extra minutes to answer some questions and
have your belongings and person searched hardly constitutes a
violation of privacy. It's not like innocent people
are being asked to undress or submit to a full cavity search!
Having been in Washington for a week now, I'm all too well aware
of the reality of terrorist threats. The fear here is
palpable. The Washington Post has announced on its
front page that US government agencies have just ordered 350,000
potassium iodide pills, which are taken to protect the thyroid
gland from the effects of radiation in the event of a nuclear
explosion. There have also been reports that al-Qaeda
operatives have plans to release nerve gas into the metro DC
subway system on or about Independence Day. TV ads
for radiation detectors are commonplace. There's a
strong sense in this city of people being on edge, although
that's not necessarily a bad thing. It was when we
were not concerned and vigilant that we became vulnerable-and a
nightmare scenario became reality.
Given all this ominous news, the only tangible thing that has
assuaged my fears since arriving in Washington is the fact that
I've witnessed-and experienced-a heightened level of security at
the airport. Granted no amount of official security
measures-at airports, borders or elsewhere-can guarantee
complete safety, it's comforting to know that they're at least
playing a role.
We must remember, however, that 64 chemicals contained in common
products-such as hair pomade and battery acid-can be used to
make explosives. Timothy McVeigh was able to build
the bomb that destroyed the Oklahoma City federal building by
using ammonium nitrate-a substance that can be derived from
burned wood, metal paint, and farm fertilizer. David
Albright-an expert on nuclear weapons and design, and the
president of the Institute for Science and International
Security-says that terrorists hell-bent on mass destruction
don't necessarily need to smuggle anything into the country or
steal explosives from a military base somewhere. They
would simply go out to a grocery store, a pharmacy, or a medical
supply store, and buy chemicals that would enable them to whip
up a homemade bomb. Surely there is information out
there on some kind of "terrorism for dummies" Internet
site that would be of help to these do-it-yourselfers.
All this means that we still cannot submit to complacency and
rely completely on formalized security measures to protect us. That
would be like dashing out into traffic on a busy street and
believing that you're completely and utterly protected simply
because you happen to be in a marked crosswalk. We
all have to do our part and look after ourselves, and each
other.
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