Today I flew out of Louisiana on my way to North Carolina to visit with old friends and, maybe, to even sample Carolina redfish and speckled trout. It’s always interesting to see what tactics and techniques anglers far removed from my own stomping grounds use to pursue those elusive reds and trout.
But I experienced something at the New Orleans airport that perturbed me. I’m an easy-going individual and everybody that knows me would agree, but this incident I’m about to explain genuinely offended me. As I was waiting to go through the body scanner, I noticed TSA agents were having everyone take their hats off to be X-rayed. This is mere procedure and nobody has any issues with it. However, a muslim woman in front of me had a head dress on and did not remove it. I even brought it up to a TSA agent that was standing there and he just shrugged his shoulders in willful futility. America, where has our common sense gone? Ultimately, the security system prevails because the body scanner will detect anything under the hijab.
But that’s not what bothers me. What bothers me is the principle of the matter, the heinous double standard. Why should she get special treatment over an American citizen? I’m not some dubious redneck spouting racist rhetoric, I am a reasonable human being that can aticulately communicate his thoughts and ideas.
I have been around the world and am well-traveled. I have flown in and out of several Middle Eastern countries and am experienced in how they treat Americans. I can tell you that more often than not I was treated like garbage. I have had stuff stolen, been threatened and harrassed just because I am a non-muslim from America. You would go to think that it was Louisiana fishermen that ran commercial airliners into two large sky scrapers!
So why do we deal with this? In my opinion, because political correctness has debilitated our common sense. In a way, you could say radical Islam is winning. After all, they imposed their culture on us this morning and it prevailed over the pertinence of security. And when it comes to your neighborhood it will also prevail…unless you speak out for what’s right: fair and equal treatment.