the look of a terrorist?

Ok, well here I go again with another post that has absolutely nothing to do with farming or our life on the farm...  (I wrote this while sitting in the airport on Friday and am publishing it this morning)

To the left is the Official Photo I had taken a couple days ago; I am wearing the same uniform as I am traveling today.  I am sitting in the airport in New Orleans waiting to catch my flight home and I am stewing about the ridiculous process I just went through with TSA and airport "security".  I know that we need to be more secure and I am all for having a screening processes, but the system we have now is a complete joke.

I correctly guessed that my uniform would set off the metal detector, but I was not anticipating having to stand in the glass cubicle for 10 minutes waiting for the schlub from TSA to come over and further scrutinize me via a full  "pat-down".   As I stood there watching people walk by, who would fit a terrorist profile if we had the fortitude to do what was necessary rather than what was politically correct, I began to grow very angry.  Watching the overweight, sloppy TSA screeners walk around with their ghetto tattoos I grew more angry...  I found myself wondering what they actually had to go through to get their security clearance and what made them "qualified" to screen me.

I have had a security clearance through the Marine Corps for the past 17 years and have been in some of the most secure locations in our nation.  As a former police officer, I have the right to carry a firearm anywhere in our nation and I know that I have had several more thorough background-checks than the TSA screeners.  I have spent my whole adult life as someone who has been willing to run toward gunfire and risk my life to protect people, but when it come to traveling at the airport I am treated as if I am more untrustworthy than the average person.

I am constantly frustrated that I walk around on a daily basis as a Sheepdog willing to protect the Sheep of society from the Wolves; when I get on an airplane, I am forced to give up my status as a protector and become just another potential victim.  In addition to having to take my shoes off, I am regularly pulled aside at the gate to be "randomly" screened again.  My Marine Corps dog tags, official orders, official passport, I.D. card mean absolutely nothing to the people who went from flipping burgers to being in charge of our nations security with air-travel.

I simply don’t understand why we (as a society) are unwilling to be effective rather than politically correct.  I also do not understand why the FAA, TSA, FBI, or any of the lettered agencies do not offer a course for people like me that would allow us to travel as a protector rather than a potential victim.  I would be willing to pay to get another background check and put myself through an air marshal academy, but that would simply be too logical for those bureaucrats running things.

Oh well, I guess I should be accustomed to this by now, but I hope I never get complacent and accept the stupidity of the world.  For those of you that know me, you can count on me to protect you whenever we are together, unless we are flying... then I will still attempt to protect you, but I will have to use the plastic spoon I got from the stewardess rather my gun or knife.

Semper Fidelis