Getting My Goat

By Keith R. Schmitz

Something to be said for a country that doesn't expect their politicians treat them like rubes, so sadly have to head out of Canada this morning, though there is no place like home.

Just shuffled through the line at the Montreal airport and going though the standard irritating security nonsense, which of course if there was a high speed train could be avoided (thanks Scottie and the rest of the libertarian herd for sparing us).

Sure Canada is doing this, but I'd bet they had to fall in line as in most things with what we here in the states instituted following the 9/11 attacks.

Of course sniffing a chance to keep us in the state of anguish that they so love, the right wing in the form of the Bush administration jumped on the chance of making every air trip a visit to a British holiday camp. In fact just read that some people have skipped trips because they are bugged by the security lines.

But it's for our safety.

Excuse me. But isn't this the same crowd that bellows at policies and proposals that help people out when they plunge into poverty, often as a part of a program to enrich our privileged sliver when it comes to job and wage cuts?

Providing the protection of a safety net, no matter how shredded it is in this country, is what they refer to as the "nanny state."

Isn't this the same crowd that every time their pull string is yanked, we hear passioned screaming about "freedom?" Let's go with Ben Franklin here -- "Those who sacrifice a little bit of freedom to get security deserve neither."

Well naaa.

Tell me please what is the difference of helping people ward off the every day threats of hunger and to our collective physical well being by denying access to health care, and of being wary of terrorist threats, which have all the frequency of lightening strikes.

Not saying of course that we have to leave ourselves vulnerable, but it amazes me when there is a political movement that want us to have one form of security but not that other, unless you of course rule out the usual political pandering and desire to keep us looking under our beds.