Senate Takes All Night to do Nothing

Taking legislative publicity stunts to a ridiculous low, the Senate was in session all last night at the insistence of the Democrats debating...you guessed it, an Iraq pullout bill. The bill, which will likely not escape filibuster, would be destined for veto regardless making the entire childish maneuver a ridiculous and meaningless waste of everyone's time.

Unfortunately, wasting time has become the hallmark of the Democrats' time at the Legislature's helm. Though a great number of post offices have been successfully renamed, the liberal leadership of the Democratic party has apparently insisted that only token legislation be passed. Apparently the Democrats have yet to realize that the endless stream of time-table bills destined for veto doesn't show President Bush the error of his ways, it merely shows the American people they made a mistake allowing the Democrats to take control.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

A government intelligence report released today states that the United States is currently in a "heightened threat environment," as Al Queda operatives have been stepping up their effort to launch an attack in the United States. The report, a hodgepodge of declassified intelligence agency documents, centers largely on concerns that the terror organization is pushing to plant agents in the United States while still devoting many of its resources to obtaining ever infamous weapons of mass destruction.

Suggestions for how the average American can prevent these impending attacks are, unfortunately, entirely absent. Specific warnings are also nowhere to be found. In function, the report serves only to increase the growing cloud of dread which has only thickened since towers fell. Our governments generic message to you: Be afraid, be very afraid.

Scare on Flight Sure to Cause Future Delays

An American Airlines flight set to travel from Los Angeles to London had to make an emergency stop in New York this morning because of concerns about one of the passengers. Though details are few and far between, it appears as though the passenger somehow reached his flight via a bus meant for airline employees. As a result, airline security never had the chance to molest and or harass him. The only rational and reasonable response was then of course to disturb the travel plans of hundreds and put the plane down as soon as possible.

Where the true inconvenience of this whole ordeal will develop, however, goes well beyond the passengers on the affected Boeing 777. Undoubtedly airline employees will now be subjected to tighter monitoring and screening processes. The result will be more crackling terminal announcements of, "We are sorry for the delay, but we are waiting on our flight crew. There is a bit of a backup at their security screening." Sadly, the passengers hearing those messages will be the lucky ones. Others will simply be stuck on their planes without water, leg room, or clean lavatories as they wait for baggage handlers who are held up having their baggage handled.

Such a change in policy will fit right in line with the TSA's pattern of painting isolated incidents as systematic nationwide threats. A single idiot attempts to blow up a flight with a shoe-bomb and millions of Americans must dirty their socks on filthy airport floors. Some halfwit attempts to sneak liquid explosives on a plane and now we all need to keep our sunscreen in three ounce clear containers in a one quart clear plastic bag.

While safer flights are important and it is good to have a system in place to keep dangerous people and items off of planes, at least a small portion of common sense in airline safety regulations would be a refreshing change of pace.