Fear Is the Mindkiller

This story is getting big play at the UK Guardian. It is not getting play in the U.S. media.

The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines.

The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush administration that officials in Brussels described as “blackmail” and “troublesome”, and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington’s requirements.

Yes, there are a lot of Muslims in the UK and in other areas of the EU. So what? You identify known terrorists and you don't let them fly. The article goes on to say that the U.S. is threatening to make EU citizens apply for permission to fly to the U.S. before they can even purchase a ticket. In other words a visa will be required, if not in form but in concept.

The problem is that our system of figuring out who the bad guys are is completely screwed and we have thousands and thousands of people on the NO FLY list that shouldn't be. Has someone got a plan to fix it...no. Don't forget that the real danger(if it exists) is from our porous borders north and south and thousands of un-inspected shipping containers that hit our ports everyday and then roll merrily throughout the country. Did I mention the total failure of the Shrub to even minimally improve security at most chemical plants in the U.S.? How about our water supplies?

Fear is the only game the Bush administration has to justify more and more erosion of our civil liberties. Then again, knowing their incompetence in every aspect of governance it would probably be prudent to be a little tightass about it all.