(HOST) On his way back from New York, commentator Rich Nadworny was reminded that the skies aren’t all that friendly any more. The question is: What are we willing to do about it?
(NADWORNY) A lot of people seem to have their knickers in a knot, literally, about the new TSA screening measures at airports. Over the last few years, a number of low-level terrorists have come close to blowing up passenger jets in the air, by hiding bombs on their bodies. The TSA now uses full body scanners and even pat-downs to try to combat this threat.
And, of course, some people are outraged by these new screenings. They claim that the TSA violates their "rights as travelers" and object to letting people view outlines of their somewhat naked bodies.
Now, while I don’t have any scientific data to back this up, my hunch is that many of the people yelling the loudest are also people who like to talk tough about terrorism. And I’m betting that a lot of these same people claim to support the war in Iraq.
Which raises an interesting question: What exactly will these people in particular, and we Americans in general, actually DO to combat terrorism or fight wars? I’m not talking about the soldiers overseas; I mean the rest of us here at home. What exactly are we willing to sacrifice to support this cause?
Looking back over the last nine years, you might well conclude that a lot of Americans won’t take any personal responsibility for combating terrorists AT ALL. Not only are we not willing to pay for our wars on terror through increased taxes – we’re not even willing to fight against underwear bombers by letting people screen us for safety’s sake.
But how can this be? We’re God-fearing, patriotic people who recognize the threat terrorism poses. We have a history of coming together to make sacrifices for the common good. So why not now?
I guess it goes back to that pesky Declaration of Independence that stated, "All Men Are Created Equal." And if everyone is equal, it follows that we all share some equal responsibilities. Right?
But the Wall Street Bankers didn’t take much responsibility for the financial crash. In fact, they keep on getting those huge bonuses. And the incoming Speaker of the House talks tough on terrorism but refuses to go through the TSA screening himself, to model proper behavior.
If our political and financial heavyweights can’t accept responsibility along with the mantle of leadership we’ve given them, then why should anyone else act responsibly?
But of all of the personal attributes you can have, responsibility is one of the best – too bad it’s getting such a bad rap in our current culture.
Going through a TSA body scanner isn’t that intrusive or onerous, and it’s at least one thing we all can do to ensure no one blows up our airplane. To me, it seems like a pretty small price to pay.