TSA - Recycled Thoughts

This post was originally written June 25th. Given the recent TSA happenings I'm reposting it.

I saw this yesterday and it made me so angry that I really wasn't in the mood to blog about it. No one, amputees or otherwise, should be subjected to this, particularly not in full view of the public. Frankly, this kind of bullshit should make you angry. It should anger you that we subject those with disabilities to obtrusive, humiliating and ineffective "security procedures" all because some assholes hijacked a plane with boxcutters.

This woman was humiliated and her child scared to death because Americans want to "feel" safe. Meanwhile anyone who's ever been through the screening process knows that the TSA are a bunch of incompetent bums. This is about control. It's about turning us into good little submissive sheep. We get used to it, then the boot presses down a bit more and we just sit back and take it without protest. That is, assuming we even realize the boot is pressing harder upon our necks.

I received an e-mail at work a few weeks ago about a little boy who was a double amputee. I found his story and attitude inspirational and thought about posting it. I didn't because I thought it deserved something more substantive than a tiny blurb and a "here's an inspirational human interest story/pictures." The thought of that little boy having to constantly endure this kind of abuse at the hands of the government "for his own good" bothers me to no end. If they can make this woman and her child cry, make Breda cry, how will that awesome little boy respond to the abuse.

It's not just the screening process itself either. It's being singled out because you're "different." It wears on you, even if those doing it are doing it with the intention of helping. One of the things that anyone with a disability most wants is to be treated just like everyone else. Obviously that's just not possible in all cases and under all circumstances, but the last thing we need are government drones humiliating people and destroying their spirit. That of course is exactly what they want to do to us. Condition us, control us, and turn us into mindless "Baaa-ing" sheep. Fuck that, I'll drive whenever possible.

H/T to Breda