The Transportation Security Administration has never been more than security theater.
Ever since the TSA was created, it has had problems. Whether employees were stealing from luggage or getting arrested for a variety of crimes, including child pornography, it has always been more about security theater than catching terrorists.
Crass jokes and people pushing the envelope has been, and probably always will be, with us. They were written on the walls in Pompeii and the walls of modern public restrooms. We may chuckle or cringe, but how far is too far? And who gets to decide when we have crossed a line.
In the past week, two entertainers have been accused of crossing the line of good taste. One, Kathy Griffin, has been fired from her job and has lost many sponsorship deals. The other, Bill Maher, has apologized for his comments.
My first trip abroad was in the Spring of 1985. My high school French class took a trip each year and I knew I wanted to go. I remember the cost was $1,073 for the ten-day trip. Every penny I earned delivering newspaper went toward that trip.
My French teacher, Mrs. Mazzone, drilled it into our heads we would be ambassadors for America. Our behavior would reflect what people would think of Americans. Careful admonishments were made about how we should act in public and private during the trip and we learned about cultural differences we should expect.
This photograph is making the rounds this morning on the Internet and I have many questions.
Why is Trump smiling while everyone else is dour?
Why do I think Trump just passed gas and is as happy as a 12-year old?
Why are Ivanka and Melania wearing head coverings for the Pope, but did not do so in Saudi Arabia? It is the custom in both places.
Why is everyone wearing black? Did they all attend a funeral? Was it America’s funeral?
Why is the Pope an extra step away from Trump?
Each day, Americans are faced with the reality of the Trump Administration’s desire to take away our rights or threatening our welfare in some way. On April 30, one of his surrogates, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, said the president is still considering “opening up” the libel laws.
On any given Sunday, the movie theater was where you used to be able to find me. Cinemas 6 in the Caldor Plaza was about a mile’s walk from home. It eventually expanded to become Cinemas 9. My friend, Doug, and I would spend the day there, arriving for the first show around 11 a.m., and leaving after the last, near midnight.
Before going, a plot was made of each movie and which theater it was in or the time listing from the newspaper was torn out and kept in my pocket. As each movie ended, we walked with the exiting crowd, slipping into the next open theater.
Employees and management didn’t seem to mind. We didn’t cause trouble. If we were loud and disruptive, we’d be kicked out.
“Have you seen the paper today?” a man I know asked, clearly irritated. I nodded yes, but wondered why he was so angry. My bewildered look prompted him to open the newspaper and turn to a story about a transgender man going to court.
“Nobody cares about that shit here,” he said, throwing the paper on his desk. The story was about Gavin Grimm, a transgender man, and his case being heard at the Supreme Court. “No one wants to see that. It doesn’t matter.”
On Friday night, Donald Trump tweeted, once again, about his disdain for the media.
The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017
My twitter feed filled soon after with cases of journalists who are not the enemy. Journalist Lauren Wolfe pointed out countries, such as Russia, Burma and Venezuela where the media has been declared enemies of the state.
Immigrants have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Every immigrant I have ever known has had a positive effect on my life and shaped who I am today.
Last week, US District Judge James L. Robart ruled against the president’s executive order banning Muslims from Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, and Yemen after a lawsuit was filed against the EO. Robart granted a temporary restraining order.
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