THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, January 21, 2010
7
“no t i o n a l ” Se c u r i t y
was arrested for the mur- incorrect. and below the equator, luggage, spread the con-
ders of American soldiers Probably the country so we had to have cloth- tents across the counter,
at Fort Hood had left so with the strongest security ing for hot weather and and asked her all sorts of
many clues to his hatred checks for airline passen- cold weather, since the questions. When they had
of this country that all you gers-- and the strongest seasons are the oppo- finally finished with her
had to do was count the reason for such checks-- site in the northern and and my wife and I stepped
dots, without even con- is Israel. Israel profiles. I southern hemispheres. up to the counter, the of-
necting them, to see where have been to Israel more Moreover, I carry a lot of ficial in charge waved us
he was coming from. But than once and it is clear photographic equipment on impatiently, saying,
by thomas sowell
for a fellow officer to alert that they profile. in a large, separate piece “Hurry up, you’ll miss the
Syndicated Columnist
higher authorities to the Fortunately, my wife of luggage. plane.”
danger would have meant and I obviously don’t fit In short, our luggage This was no special
The latest “screw-up” risking damage to his own their profile, whatever that could carry enough ex- treatment for us. They
that let a man with ex- career moreso than to that may be. Others who have plosives to blow up any had no idea who we were.
plosives get on a plan on of Major Nidal Hasan. been to Israel are amazed building in the country. We were just not the kind
Christmas day is only part That is because we have when I tell them that we But, whatever their secu- of people they spent time
of a larger laxness and become so obsessed with have gone through Israeli rity system and whatever on, for whatever reason.
irresponsibility when it political correctness that security four times and their profile, they didn’t Recently, an Israeli
comes to national secu- both common sense and they have never opened seem to want to waste any security official was in-
rity. This administration self-preservation have to our luggage. time on us. terviewed on Fox News
pays lip service to na- take a back seat. We don’t That is all the more sur- The last time we flew Channel by Mike Hucka-
tional security and gives dare “profile” anybody prising, since we take into Israel was from Cairo, bee. The official said that
out with a lot of rhetorical going through security a lot of luggage. We where the Israeli secu- he has testified before
notions that makes it no- checks because that’s not have stopped in Israel rity officials at the Cairo Congress and offered to
tional security instead of politically correct. Far bet- while on trips completely airport detained the lady help with suggestions on
national security ter to be blown to smither- around the world, includ- in line in front of us for how the American airport
The Muslim major who eens than to be politically ing countries both above 45 minutes, opened her See sowell on 15
Ha i t i ’S aG o n y
three million people directly forces have been in Haiti ous search and rescue corruption, ineffective gov-
affected and where tens of since 1994 to ensure some units ranging from New ernment and poverty.
thousands have died. stability. York City, Virginia, Miami Thus beyond compassion
Tragically the poorest But the United States, and Los Angeles, and the there’s another resource
country in the Western Europeans, such as France deployment of U.S. Navy needed for the longer term,
hemisphere is no stranger and Spain, and even Main- resources, and the rapid well after the aftershocks of
to calamity; the Caribbean land China were quick to delivery of humanitarian this crisis have past. This
isle has been hit by a string send search and rescue aid can gain the advantage is one not necessarily rich
by John J. Metzler
of natural disasters, rang- teams. Importantly the of time and initiate rescue in money, but in talent,
Syndicated Columnist
ing from hurricanes, floods, UN humanitarian appara- operations to help the Hai- in know-how, and in love.
and now the earthquake. tus went into immediate tian people. Those are the Haitian peo-
BENNINGTON, VT—The cata- Sadly the island has en- operation to deliver food, During the next few ple, four million of whom
clysmic earthquake which dured a turbulent history water and medicines. Ironi- weeks the United States, live overseas. Indeed large
struck the island of Haiti where endemic political cally the UN mission force Canada, and the UN along Haitian communities in the
has shattered lives, build- instability and wrenching “MINUSTAH had to focus with Churches and aid U.S., Canada and France
ings, aspirations and pos- corruption have turned simultaneously on rescue agencies will mobilize mas- must put aside their of-
sibly hope too. The 7 point Haiti into a place of grind- operations and helping sive humanitarian commit- ten partisan differences
magnitude quake, the larg- ing poverty, little progress, the Haitian population,” ments for Haiti’s devastat- and join in helping their
est to have hit Haiti in over and broken dreams. according to reports. In ed and distraught people. families, showing solidar-
two hundred years, has Significantly the earth- other words the coordinat- Former U.S. President Bill ity with their compatriots,
produced near apocalyp- quake struck Port-au- ing center for the relief and Clinton, already the UN’s and helping their home-
tic images as people have Prince, the capital and recovery was paralyzed and Special Representative for land. Perhaps only then
been thrust into the caul- also the nerve center of the first-responders were Haiti, will play a key role. will Haiti overcome this
dron of natural disaster large and in-country based hit with their own crisis. Indeed before long, the flow national trauma.
where death, injury, and United Nations agencies. If there is any consolation of humanitarian aid and Until then, the moral
displacement defy the gov- Yet the UN’s own head- in the calamity, it remains rescue resources should responsibility to help Haiti
ernment’s rudimentary so- quarters was flattened with that the disaster did not look impressive; at least rests with the international
cial and medical services. a large loss of life. Among occur halfway round the on paper. community.
Yet a rapid relief response the more than 9,000 UN world as with the Indo- Yet, after the initial emer-
by the international com- blue helmet peacekeepers nesian Tsunami in 2004 gency relief and rebuilding John J. Metzler is a Unit-
munity and the pledge of stationed on the island, or the Kashmir quake in efforts, there’s actually a ed Nations correspondent
“unwavering support” from mostly from Brazil, were 2005. Thus massive air- far bigger challenge facing covering diplomatic and
the USA, will help ease the equally paralyzed at the lifts from the nearby United the impoverished island; defense issues.
suffering if not the agony of disaster’s onset. The UN States, sending numer- the enduring undertow of
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