Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sad Departure: Tyrrell Leaves the Land of the Free

Quite a few years ago, I subscribed to the American Spectator. That was in the day when the mag was out-sized--about 12"x18". It was distinctive, to say the least.

(And we were the few, the.......odd, perhaps. I sat in an airport lounge reading my copy as an older gent, complete with hat, read his across the aisle from me. When it was time to embark, we both stuffed the mag into our briefcases, exchanged knowing glances, and separated. No greetings were necessary.)

Anyhoo, Tyrrell was an Indiana U. swimmer and the mag began operations in Indiana. By and by, he succumbed to the siren and moved the operation to D.C.

It's now clear that he's part of the DC Set. The Manicured, the Comfortable, and the Chicken.

I blame Drudge! Yes, I blame the Drudge Report for this insane controversy about the use of high-tech body scanners and "pat-downs" at airport security zones.

Capitulation didn't take too long; in this essay, only about 10 grafs.

...Terror poses an enormous threat to the free society. The terrorists can attack us anyplace, which is why I rather like the idea of citizens free to carry arms. The scanners and the pat-downs are a dreadful threat to freedom and personal dignity, except for what they are meant to combat, terrorists -- thugs who would attack the unarmed and innocent. Scanners and pat-downs can be executed with care or with stupid disregard for our dignity.

Tyrrell evidently doesn't read much while he's clubbing with the Boys. The scans and pat-downs are absolutely, totally, without effect. The X-rays cannot detect PETN, and an artful (if rather detestable) stuffing of a PETN-pak into a dark orifice will put it ........out of reach, so to speak........of the gloved wanderings of TSA hands.

Too bad. At one time, Tyrrell was of the Midwest.

4 comments:

RAG said...

Well said.

The constitution, and perhaps more significantly, the Bill of Rights, was meant as a grant of power to the government from the govern as well a set of limitiations on how far that power can go.

All rational people understand the importance of national security but there comes a time -- and we have long passed it -- when common sense and our sense of community must take precedence. Our forefathers never promised us a rose garden, only a constitution. We are not immune from evil; we ferret out and punish evil. The greatest antidote to tyranny is freedom and even more freedom, not more restrictions.

What these yahoos do not get is that when we excessively curtail our own freedoms in response to terrorism, the terrorists win. They win because they are bullies. They win become of intimidation. They win because we let them intimidate us.

Unfortunately, George W. Bush didn't quite get it. Nor does Mr. Change You Can Believe In But Never Delivered.

Andrew K said...

Too bad TSA let's by huge amounts of stuff.

San Diego's TSA failed 22 or 24 (or 20 of 22?) tests they conducted (in 2006 or 2007).

So much for effectiveness.

Is there any good conservative mag out to read? National Review seemed to go off the deep end 3 years ago.

Dad29 said...

Human Events is a weekly newspaper, good stuff.

Display Name said...

Stuffing? What is this, Boots and Sabers?