You still hear so many left-wing bumper sticker slogans being hurled around and I expect even more as election day approaches. In the wake of the “Underpants Bomber”, it is interesting how even more shocking some of these sound to me when put into some sort of real-world context. I had an idea for a political cartoon that admittedly would be too shocking to actually make. The most disturbing thing about the cartoon though, would be the statements that we hear every day being said by the people in the cartoon. How offensive these statements are to the families of people who have died in terrorist incidents on airplanes. And how absurd and offensive they are to all of us who are innocent Americans who just want to be safe.

The cartoon shows an airplane that has just been exploded by a terrorist. Yes “terrorist”. This is “terrorism”, not as President Obama has ordered,  a “man-made disaster”, but yes it is that too – man made by certain men. The cartoon shows the people on the plane and what they are saying right after the explosives detonated.

“At least I know the screening was fair,” says the 80 year old lady who had been flagged for a random search.
“I worry about the Arab world and what they think of Americans and our screening process,” says a father of 3.
“Bush lied!” a mother yells.
“Close Gitmo!” cries an ivy league college professor.
“Wiretapping of terrorists should be banned!” exclaims a 20 Second Scholar.
“Prosecute the U.S. Intelligence community!” sighs a man who was reading the New York Times.
“This guy had nothing to do with 9/11!” screams a conspiracy theorist.
“I just hope that if this bomber survives somehow, they read him his Miranda Rights,” opines an up and coming public defender.
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” insists a Obama campaign volunteer.
“As horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse,” says a big fan of Meet the Press who strangely looks a lot like General Casey.
“Profiling of terrorists is a very dangerous policy,” reports a TV watcher who is also ironically a big fan of those shows where they talk about those FBI profilers who help solve all those big cases.

If a group of people tells you that they want to kill you, I want to be on the lookout for these people in particular. I want wiretaps, surveillance, satellite imagery, undercover operatives, interrogations, information sharing among different agencies – I want membership lists including their names and addresses, who they called, where they travel and what they buy. I want to know who they have tried to recruit and what their plans are. This can all be done fairly, although more than fairness, I am interested in my family not getting blown up.

“Have you considered the fact that these people might recruit others who may not fit your profile?” Yes. We need the technology to screen everybody at airports – as well as the will to do it. But have you considered that they may not recruit others? Will we be ready for that?

“But can’t anybody, even from other groups, be a potential airplane bomber?” Perhaps, although this has not happened yet. Please do not make policy based soley on the possible exceptions. Please do not try to rationalize why we are not doing what we know must be done.

The lives of Americans must be the sole aim of our airline security. There is no room for the political correctness that has become all the rage lately. When one talks of “fairness”, one must ask,

 “Fair to who?”