The ride home tonight was platform for a discussion on our safety as citizens of the USA.  The conversation came about because yet another Amtrak train was hit, this time by a dump truck.  I jokingly made the comment, “Well THAT’S how the terrorists are going to get us!”  Dear Husband launched into telling me that we have legislators who vehemently want TSA-level checks for train travel.  Seriously.

Congratulations fellow Americans… we’re being held hostage in a state of fear and apprehension by our elected officials.  Of course – you knew that, didn’t you?  Americans have NEVER been safe.  No.  Really.  We’ve lived in a idyllic La-La Land thinking we would never suffer the same courses of violence we saw or heard about striking the rest of the world.  Until now, we’ve been lucky.

Let’s think about this logically.  Terrorists are smarter than running trucks into Amtrak trains.  If they truly wanted to bring about mass destruction and incredible interruption of American society – they don’t need to run trucks into trains and bring more planes down.  Who is going to question someone walking under a bridge or an underpass?  The TSA doesn’t check people going INTO the airport – it would cause more disruption to blow up the entry-way to a major airport than to bring a plane down again.

The TSA has failed numerous times at its job, and yet they’ve been given blank slates to terrorize law-abiding citizens under the guise of “safety”.  One of the latest failures was a Nigerian who picked up a boarding pass in New York and used it to fly to Los Angeles, and then tried to pull the same stunt again.  This was not his first time at the rodeo. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/07/08/flight.stowaway/index.html?iref=allsearch

So, fellow Americans.  No, we’re NOT safe.  Yes, you DO live in an imaginary bubble.  But, don’t worry – be happy!  Life is too short to live your lives in constant fear of what MIGHT happen.