Epic Stupidity: The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back

There’s always one moment in time where you observe things have just gone too far.  Columbine was one such moment, when the issue of school bullying exploded on our consciousness and no longer could we behave as if this wasn’t an important issue.  This is another one of those moments.  Our government’s reaction to the attempt to bring down a plane this week has been so enormously stupid that we can no longer remain silent.  Are we going to allow this stupid, stupid, stupid reaction to stand, or are we going to yell and scream and take substantive efforts towards making our flying experience safer and more comfortable.

So let’s review the facts.  Someone with known terrorist tendencies — his father alerted the authorities!! — who’s on the watch list, who buys a ticket on the day of travel, paying cash, one way, from Nigeria through Amsterdam to the United States, with only a carry-on suitcase, carrying liquids containing known explosives, gets on to a plane and tries to ignite said explosives.

And what’s our reaction?  There’s some confusion on this matter but not surprisingly, the government says this is part of its strategy of unpredictability.  Of course, already the information is on the web, copied from internal airline and government web sites.  Apparently these policies only apply to international flights.  You can’t get up during the last hour of a flight.  You can’t have a blanket on your lap.  You’re only allowed one carry on.  No location information will be displayed or announced.  (I’m sure there will be a new reqiurement that window shades must be lowered so you can’t look out the window.)

I ask you.  Would any of these matters have stopped this attempt?  Of course not.  What would have stopped this attempt would have been the enforcement of any of a thousand procedures we already have in place.  He was on the watch list!!!!!   He paid cash!!!!!  At the last minute!!!!!  For a one-way flight!!!!!  Without luggage!!!!!  If this was a Hollywood movie, movie critics would have said “this movie asks us to suspend disbelief beyond the ability of any sane person to do so.”  So the solution to this is more policies and procedures??  How about we enforce the ones that are already in place that would have, and should have, prevented this situation.  How about we ignore the bureaucracy’s feint here and shine a spotlight on every individual who failed in this situation and on every individual who is, or should be, following up to make sure this tragicomedy never repeats itself.

More policies?!?!?!

Actually, I suppose we should be thankful.  I’m sure the same people who, after Richard Reid had us take off our shoes at every checkpoint, were arguing that now we should make sure everyone takes off their pants.  Where does this lunacy stop?  When do we stand up and acknowledge that the government is engaged in a massive public relations effort to make people feel simultaneously safer (“we’re doing everything in our power”) and more scared (“…so you need to give us even more power”).  I’m not normally one of these conspiracy theorists — far from it — but I can’t help but believe what we have here is massive bureaucratic incompetence, with some seeking to advance their agendas behind that incompetence.  When do we say “enough”?  How can we possibly justify any change in procedures when the existing procedures so massively were ignored?  What makes these new procedures likely to be adhered to and how in the world would they make us more safe anyhow?  Is it somehow safer if someone tries to blow up a plane in the middle hour of a flight instead of the last hour???  The total absurdity of this one is so complete that I can’t believe there isn’t a total uproar about this.  Yet I just watched the Sunday morning newsmagazines and all of them discussed this matter, and the response, with the utmost earnestness and seriousness.

If we all don’t yell and scream about this one, then I suppose we get what we deserve.