(Politics/Travel) Pat DOWN and Shut UP

If I go to a restaurant, I expect my host or hostess to take me to my seat, it’s their job.  When I am seated I expect someone to take my order and someone to bring me my food.  It’s what I pay for and it’s what they are being paid to do.  With that being said, when I purchase tickets to fly on an airline, I expect and agree to have the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) protect my well being.  If that means search me or “touch my junk”, then by all means, “touch my junk”.  Neither I, nor anyone else should get upset with a TSA agent for doing his or her job. 

I’m sure by now many of you have gotten some wind of all the hoopla going on with TSA screenings and how some may feel it’s a little too invasive and some have even resulted to comparing the screening to sexual harassment.  Seriously, SEXUAL HARASSMENT… Give me a break.  Look, I understand being a little stand-offish about the scanners because of fears of radiation.  But if you decline going through the scanner then your other options are to get patted down by a TSA agent or leave.  Let me remind you that when you purchase your tickets, whether you read the fine print or not, you already agreed to TSA procedures, screenings, and pat downs.  Now that you all of a sudden have to go through with it, you get defensive.  What is it that you have to hide?  By you I mean Mr. Tyner seen all over the news and YouTube recently after him secretly video recording his experience at an airport terminal getting ready to be screened.  If you have not already seen the video, click here.  So I’ve heard most of your interviews and how you go on and on about not having anything on you such as a bomb or what not,  If you don’t have anything illegal on your person then why all the fuss?  What exactly are you trying to hide?  I’ll just let my readers comment on what they think you’re hiding. 

In the mean time, I will say this.  I served my country in the United States Military and I just so happen to know a little more than the average person about threats to our Country and so forth.  September 11^th hit a little too close to home for me because I am from New York City and my family still resides in New York City.  When 9/11 happened I was already deployed to a remote location in the Middle East.  I take my safety to heart and it’s definitely not a joke when I travel.  It shouldn’t be a joke to anyone who travels.  This is very serious and I would hate to be the guy on the ground or in the air that gets hurt or dies because my government didn’t do everything in their power to protect its citizens because one man made a big deal about how invasive TSA screening is. 

Who in their right mind would want our TSA agents to be more laxed and just let anyone go through our airports and fly on our planes and not screen individuals as they see fit.  In fact, because today is Thanksgiving, thank you men and women of TSA.  Thank you of course to the men and women of our Armed Forces.  Thank you America for such a wonderful country that we live in.  Because of our military, our local law enforcement, our government, and yes, even our TSA agents "I am not afraid of anything in this world". 

(Polictics) Cinco de Americano

I’m not sure if any of you have heard the story of the five students that were sent home from school on Cinco de Mayo (2010) for wearing American Flag shirts and shorts in Morgan Hill, California.  If not go ahead and watch the video below and/or click here…  Well, what do you guys think?  Who’s right?  Who’s wrong?  Well, obviously I have an opinion.  My opinion… No one is right.  They are both wrong.  They being, the school officials, all of the students involved, and the parents. 

I understand that the day is a holiday primarily celebrated by Hispanics of Mexican descent.  I say primarily because let’s face it, not just Mexicans celebrate the holiday.  Many of us take advantage of the party’s around the neighborhoods and the deals at the bars and restaurants.  No need for a history lesson on how the holiday commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over France.  So to get to the point, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday primarily celebrated by Mexicans and in a school in Morgan Hill, five students decided to go to school with shirts and shorts representing the American Flag.  Because there are many sides to every story I’ll try not to speculate what may have really happened and what was really said but school officials advised the students to take off their shirts, turn them around or go home.  Why would school officials do or say such a thing?  The principal is Mexican could that be a reason?  Maybe the school officials were protecting the five students?  Who knows?  As for the students who showed up to school with their illustrations of the American Flag, there’s nothing wrong with that right?  Of course not, they live in America and regardless of what holiday it is they have absolutely every right to wear images of their country on the shirts.  Just like a New York Yankees fan has every right to go into Fenway Park in Boston to watch a Yankees vs. Red Sox game.  That person just has to expect to get booed, cussed at, or even have food thrown at them.  Are these students prepared for all of that and in the case with students they may even get into physical confrontations.  Are they ready or, should they take their shirts off, turn their shirts around, or go home? 

As for the students who are offended that the five students wore their shirts and shorts depicting the American Flag, seriously…  Are you really that offended?  You’re in America celebrating a holiday that is not even as significant as Mexican Independence Day which I’m willing to bet that most of the students in the school don’t even know what day it falls on.  By the way, that would be September 16^th.  Even if I’m wrong about that last comment, it’s not “disrespectful” to wear a shirt with illustrations of an American flag at an American high school despite the holiday.  The intentions of the five students may or may not have been so innocent but regardless, they are Americans attending an American High School, wearing American paraphernalia.  There are much bigger things going on in our world.  To threaten or to want to fight over what someone else is wearing begs the question “What’s going on”?