No Special Pass
Apparently the military has lobbied for special expedited security measures at the nation’s airports. In addition to members of the armed forces receiving preferential security treatment, I also heard on Freedom Watch hosted by Judge Napolitano that the police and fire unions are lobbying for the same type of screening. Why is it we believe people in government issued uniforms, which in the case of the police and fire personnel comes with a badge, are beyond malicious intent.
Examples of individual policeman committing heinous crimes that include murder stretch back in the history of law enforcement to the time cops first started walking the beat. Some have been trained in using special types of weaponry and even plastic explosives. I would also suspect that elite police personnel have also been educated onhow explosives and arms can be transported past security checkpoints.
The same argument can be made about military personnel. Individuals particularly in the Special Forces certainly know how to hide and proficiently use different types of explosives. The military or for that matter any government enforcement agency is not foolproof from an individual or a small group with destructive intentions blending in among their ranks.
On November 9, 2009, Army Major Nidal Milek Hasan opened fire at the Fort Hood base outside of Killen, Texas. When the shooting ended, thirteen people lay mortally wounded and another twenty-nine fell wounded. Hasan is an American born Muslim of Palestinian descent. Internal Army reports showed for four years concern over Major Hasan’s radical Islam tendencies. Imagine what the Major might have done if airport security gave him a pass. If the Army could not stop a person like Hasan from creating mayhem, then what makes anyone think that the mental midgets of the TSA can?
This brings up a second point. In the age of computers and digital replication, what is the chance of a dumb-eye TSA person spotting a phony military ID.? Considering how often airport security misses weapon breaches during internal test runs, I would estimate the odds to be next to none. I personally know a person that mistakenly had a knife in his carry-on bag. Despite going through all the security show, the knife made it through.
Finally, the laws of the land are supposed to apply to everyone equally. No one gets a pass or differential treatment because of their lot in life, including members of Congress and the President. Members of the military, police, fire departments, and public officials all take an oath to defend the Constitution. Instead of protecting individual rights, people in uniform and politicians have demonstrated an allegiance toward government power. I see everyday more reasons to trust people in uniform less and less.