Christmas Porridge and the Observer
61And Now It Begins...
Good morning breakfastpoppers. Today is Thursday, December 30, 2010. Scotty has been flying around the country in an effort to judge how well the new airport screening procedures are working. His nerves are shattered and he has developed a stutter since returning. He needs to speak with us and tell us what he observed. Hopefully, it will help him calm down. I think he is developing a rash. He has asked us to prepare one of his personal favorites for breakfast, Christmas Porridge.
Gather together 1 cup of slivered almonds, 1 cup pearl barley, 2 quarts of water, 1 and 3/4 cups raisins, 1/3 cup honey, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground coriander and 1 and 3/4 cups dates. Spread almonds in a shallow pan and toast in a 350 degree oven until golden. Set aside. Combine barley and 2 quarts of water in a 4 quart pan. Cook over med-low heat, uncovered for about 45 minutes. Stir every once in awhile. Add raisins and additional water if necessary and continue cooking for 30 minutes until very thick. Stir often. Add honey, salt and coriander and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat, add dates, grab the pot and head for my place. Scotty and I await you with Bloody Marys for one and all.
Thanks my dear earthling friends for taking the time out of your busy day to speak with me. I have been flitting around from airport to airport and I have witnessed several things that I think you should be aware of. I had occasion to be at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport where I witnessed the TSA manhandling a passenger. Her name is Claire Hirschkind. She is 56 years old, has a pace-maker device in her chest and is a rape victim. She was on her way to visit friends in California. When she reached the security checkpoint she told the agents that she could not go through the screening machine because of her pacemaker. She was informed that she had to submit to a pat-down. She turned to the TSA agent and three Austin police officers and said she would submit to a wanding but they told her no, she had to submit to a pat-down. She told the authorities that she would not allow them to touch her breasts. They told her "Yes, you are". Ms. Hirschkind refused and the police pushed her to the ground and handcuffed her. She was crying and they dragged her about 25 yards across the floor. Many of the other travelers felt sympathy for Ms. Hirschkind but said the law is the law. Others like myself were horrified.
My friends, I have to say that my stomach was turning upside down after witnessing this event. The TSA officers and the police believe they were doing their jobs. The TSA released a statement that said "Our officers are trained to treat all passengers with dignity and respect. Security is not optional." My conclusion is otherwise. Handcuffing this woman and dragging her across the floor is neither professional or rational. Let's face it, Ms. Hirschkind posed no threat to anybody, but these officers were not trained to know the difference between a bomb-toting animal and a frightened woman on her way to visit friends. This dog and pony show that the TSA is performing in an effort to make us feel safe isn't actually making us safer at all.
While passengers are being poked and prodded those that service the planes and have complete access to their engines and cargo undergo no security checking at all. Just ask airline pilot Chris Liu who had the courage to come forward and video the lax procedures behind the scenes. His video took place in the San Francisco Airport. He pointed out serious flaws in security and stated quite frankly that the procedures enacted to screen passengers amounted to nothing more than smoke and mirrors. The ground crew just waltzes through while the passengers are being manhandled.
I can only surmise that the TSA doesn't want the flying public to know about this. Mr. Liu returned to his home and was greeted by Federal marshals who confiscated his authorized firearm. The county sheriff followed suit by revoking his license to carry his firearm. Clearly,the TSA was very angry at Mr. Liu for daring to point out the charade that we call airport security.
Both of these events point out the lack of serious intent when it comes to keeping the flying public safe. The TSA's answer to security is to treat everyone like a terrorist, except of course the people who have access to the planes and could actually pose a threat. I think you deserve better. I think you should stand up for your rights and insist that security procedures make sense and actually accomplish something. What's going on now is just laying the groundwork for lawsuits stemming from being radiated or being molested. There is a better way. Insist that your government find it...POP...
Good morning Tom,
I can't even express accurately how happy I am to see you at the breakfast table. You are right, the death of common sense is now alive and kicking in the airports. I think it's the train for me! See you at the bar. I'm buying...
In my opinion, the TSA is a joke. It is reactive rather than proactive. And having former burger flippers checking out the flying public is a disgrace. Except for 9/11 terroristss, no one has gotten on a plane in the US with a bomb. And when the TSA tests to see how well the burger flippers are doing, ehy manage to get weapons through the screeners. I think the government should examine procedures overseas for flights heading to the US. Good job, Scotty. Just another example of how the government can barely do anything right. Thanks for the bloody Mary. I am off to the bar for more. BARTENDER................
@taxlarry : Um... the 9/11 terrorists didn't get on planes with bombs.
Good morning taxlarry,
You make an excellent point. What good do our security procedures do if a "terrorist" boards a plane in Denmark and flies to our country. None of what we are doing makes any sense at all. Our soldiers would do a much better job at the airports than the TSA. See you at the bar. I still need my team of dogs to get me there, but trust me, I'll get their.
Pop, Airport security is not about security it's about control. Will the wealthy frequent fliers submit to state control? Why yes they will, and do it silently and watch in a bit of surprise a woman be treated this way, and not say a word. Is this just a test for border check points when driving state to state? Yep, and more. Somebody's in the Kitchen with Dinah, brewing up some mustard gas. If folks will allow this, they will allow themselves to be put into box cars headed for Auschwitz, hide and watch and be afraid of flu vaccines and other methods of them whittling us down, 50
and it's time for some hard drinks hell is coming to a town nearby soon.
Dear nicomp,
The terrorists themselves were the bombs!
Good Morning Scottie and Pop, It is a terrible thing you witnessed. Patting down people who obviously are not toting bombs is cruel and ridiculous. The TSA is pathetic and ineffective. It is good to see Tom back. See you at the end.
Good morning 50,
Yes, it's all about control and maybe it is just a test of what is to come. I can easily see this "test" escalating very rapidly. Will be able to go about our business freely or will be be subjected to checkpoints all under the guise of keeping us safe? What is happening here is scaring the hell out of me and it is our own country that's doing it. See you at the Inn 50. I believe we can still meet there without government intervention.,
Good morning Pamela,
If they can handcuff and drag a woman across the floor in full view of other passengers and get away with it, what's next? How could the other passengers not raise their voices in protest? See you at the Inn. I need to be in the company of people I respect and trust. I'm buying.
Morning POP...Can anyone spell PROFILE ?? This is insane, and providing hours of laughter for the real terrorists...When was the last time anyone snuck a bomb aboard an El Al aircraft..? Enough already !! This PC approach to fighting a determined and highly adaptable enemy is getting people killed...Homeland Security, including the TSA, has declared war on the American public...When people can watch a 57 year old woman being manhandled by authorities and condone such action with a simple " Well, the law is the law ", we are looking at a conditioned society, a society that accepts government intrusion and force in the name of " security "...What's next, pogroms and gulags..?
Beam me up, Scotty...Big Sis is looking at my " junk " and I don't like the way she is smiling...
See you at the tavern, POP...Bloody Mary's will really hit the spot tonight...Larry
Good morning maven,
You have,, as always, hit the nail on the head. To witness and then dismiss seeing a woman knocked down and dragged across the floor is tantamount to being an accessory to a crime. We are being conditioned to accept the unacceptable and we had better wake up and put the brakes on. Otherwise, men in black hoods with TSA scribbled across their chests will be visiting innocent people in the middle of the night and dragging them away. I'll meet you at the bar. I need to look into the faces of people I admire, trust and respect.
NICOMP - First, the 9/11 terrorists got on with metal box cutters. i guess the metal detectors of the time couldn't detect them. The box cutters were then used to turn 4 planes into bombs. I hope you don't really believe that the terrorists couldn't get a bomb onto a plane. I am certain they are working on it presently. The screening is a joke and an insult to Americans. We can continue this at the bar.
This TSA situation is so far out of control it is frightening. There are so many holes in the TSA safety net I'm surprised they ever catch anything at all. This whole scene is a comedy of errors that needs to be stopped. I'm positive the terrorist organizations are laughing like crazy over this sometimes humiliating experience they have forced on American air travelers. A ball point pen in the hands of a trained person is a deadly weapon, yet these are allowed through the screening process. Other countries have this figured out without treating their citizens like criminals or terrorists when boarding a plane, could we not learn something from them?
POP and Scotty: Do you really think that all this so called security is really keeping us safe? I agree with 50 - it's about control.
If our government really wanted to keep us safe, we'd have a system which is closer to what the Israeli's have. Their employees are closer to FBI agents,not burger flippers, and they know who they are looking for.
While I agree that what happened to Ms. Hirschkind is unforgivable, the TSA agents, former burger flippers, are trained to do one thing. We need to have intelligent agents, who can make a decision and think outside the box. We don't need to take off our shoes, jackets, and put our carry-on items in a baggie. Correctly trained people can pick a terrorist out of a crowd.
The question is: will our government ever do this? The answer is NO. Why? Because our government would rather come up with our own security, and not mirror those who's systems are already proven. That's America's arrogance (or at least our government's).
Taxlarry, Thanks for the new term - burger flippers.
POP: Don't make Scotty stay outside because he has a rash. It's too cold. I've used your credit card to order a few massages for Scotty. That will calm him down and he'll lose that stutter quickly. After all, I need him feeling fresh and looking handsome. We have a date on New Year's Eve.
I'm off to the bar - someone save me a seat....
Good morning Pollman,
You're right, a ball point pen in the wrong hands is a weapon and therein lies the problem. How far do we take this screening process? It has already gone too far and will never improve our security. The terrorists are yucking it up in their caves while we dance to their tune. See you at the tavern. So far we can come and go as we please.
Good morning Pino,
Not to worry about Scotty. He is cozily nesting under 6 blankets in my guest room watching Fox News. He has sworn off conventional air travel and will fly himself wherever he has to go. His rash is almost gone and he is working on security measures based upon common sense and the skill of profiling. He is quite an alien. See you later at the bar. There are no radiating scans or pat-downs there...yet....
The TSA requires agents to have a high school education or a GED or at least one year of security work. In other words, your lives could be in the hands of high school dropouts (in case you wonder why they don't look all that bright!)
The head of the TSA has admitted that neither the full body scan nor the pat down can detect well hidden explosives! It's all for show!
We are now a police state.
I think it's pretty clear. Stop flying. Write your congressman. If they don't answer, vote em out. This has got to stop! DHS is already considering the implimentation of these "security" measures at train stations and malls!
Scotty
Such is the country we now live in and you have chosen to visit. We cannot profile for it could be considered a violation of a certain group’s civil rights; you know the Muslim Terrorist who wish to bind and gag us then film while we lay on the ground kicking and screaming while they saw off our heads in Daniel Pearl fashion. Well Scotty they have rights too.
So in order to protect the rights of the aforementioned Terrorist we mush handcuff and ruff up innocent civilians such as Claire Hirschkind. You are aware of the declared war on America by the Little old Ladies from Pasadena Society as well as all breast cancer survivors; you aren’t aware of that declared war; I know I read it or heard it somewhere; most likely on NPR!
Now of course if a Muslim woman shows up covered from head to toe in a Berka with Death to America written across the forehead she is allowed to pass because it is against her religion for her to be touched by infidels; the religion of course is Islam which is the only true religion now recognized by this current Administration; you know the Administration presently headed up by the Kenyan Kid!
Also; if anyone shows up wearing a pair of tennis shoes with fuses as laces or has his pants down to his knees exposing his drawers inscribed underwear by Fruit-A-Ka-Boom they are allowed to pass right through while the 95 year old nun is stripped searched!
Yes Scotty; don’t you just love what the Politically Correct Bunch has done for the Airline Industry?
Dear Poolman,
I just realized that I called you Pollman. Sorry!
Good morning WillStarr,
Yes, it's all a show and a flop at that. Why are the American people sitting back and allowing themselves to be radiated and groped while terrorists are onto other more inventive ways to terrorize us? I don't appreciate being tormented by my own country. See you at the tavern. At least there won't be any TSA agents around, I hope.
Dear C.J. Wright,
Here comes the police state! Our freedom is being taken away by our own country. The terrorists can just sit back and watch. I already cancelled my flight plans because I have had enough. See you at the Inn. They haven't installed scanners yet.
Dear Patriot,
I have to say I am appalled at the lack of common sense among many of your people. I am amazed that your planet has survived as long as it has. In the rest of the universe, profiling is considered intelligent police work. On your planet it is considered politically incorrect. Are you all insane? Don't answer that, it probably would be considered politically incorrect and the PC police could show up at your door. The sad part is that nary another soul would protest, except of course your family. Your rights are being taken away inch by inch and most of you don't even realize it. I pray you wake up in time.
Scotty
New TSA slogans: Grope Discounts Available; We are Now Free to Move About Your Pants; Can't See London, Can't See France, Unless We See Your Underpants; AND MY FAVORITE: Touchin', Squeezin' Arrestin'.
Poor Ms. Hirchkind!!
TSA,IRS,DOHS,FBI,CIA, doesn't matter what the initials are we have started to reach a point here in the USA where we are no longer citizens but subjects. I am getting to the point where I am praying for revolt.
Why can't we invite the folks who do the screening in Israel's airports to come to the U.S. and show us how it SHOULD be done? They appear to have found the best methods without aggravating and dragging innocent citizens across the airport floor.
Dear Kindacrazy,
Your nickname is really appropriate and I love it. Can we make T-shirts and get a grope discount? See you at the Inn. There are no checkpoints there yet!
Dear tony,
It's all about tightening the reins on us and it is happening at every turn. What's next., getting groped by security before entering a mall? See you at the Inn. I'm buying.
Dear drbj,
The Israelis have already offered their advice but we are reluctant to listen to anybody. The pat answer is always the same," Israel is a much smaller country". I have heard their experts say that our method are ludicrous and a waste of time. See you at the Inn.No TSA allowed.
The true interest here is in protecting those potential terrorist from being "profiled". We will handcuff and drag 56 year old women with pacemakers but we're not profiling...the one effective method to route out those who potentially would harm America. And finally, if you go to the airport to either ride or work...you get checked period stop. Why waste everybody's time inside the plane if you are going to let the idiot that works on the plane put a bomb in the cargo bay. Now I am starting to understand how we get bombs disguised as printer cartridges on to Cargo planes. Thanks for a good Scotty and Poppy! WB
Good morning Wayne,
The rest of the world has to be laughing at us and the terrorists are truly enjoying themselves. We are acting like fools and none of these measures will keep us safer. We are also acting like sheep and that is going to come back to bite us in the end as the government chops away at our liberty all in the name of national security.
Well Howdy Pop - "Fun and games." It starts right at the very top with OB himself. Those fools could not find "it" with both hands and a lantern while backed up to a mirror. There is not a gun big enough to get me to fly on a commercial airline today. I'd willingly pilot my own aircraft still, but the crazies took away my pilot's license when I recently got out of teenage status. Damn fools. Everything's now by my little red pick-em-up until they get around to patting that machine down to see if it has more than 3 ounces of git and go inside.
Gus :-)))
And a Happy New Years Eve to you Breakfastpop. Now, late a day it seems. The TSA I am unable to comment on at this time as my comments would end me being hunted down like a criminal. It is totally inconceivable in my mind where they "think" or do they ....that they would ever have the right to act in this manner.
Thanks for all your recipes, cheer and news all year brakfastpop. Your pages are wonderful. Keep it up in the coming year. Blessings to you and yours.
Dear Gus,
I totally understand where you are coming from. I did have plans to fly but cancelled them after they started installing the radiation machines. Enough is enough.
Wishing you and everyone you love a happy and healthy New Year.
Dear Wealthmadehealthy,
We haven't yet come to the point where we will be hunted down for what we say, but I fear we are not far off from that eventuality. I hope that the new year gives us the opportunity and the resolve to turn things around. We have to do it.
Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.
Now this is getting down right disgusting and upsetting. That poor women, how dare they, everywhere you turn and look it's happening to everyone, young and old, sick and dying. What are we peasents from this kingdom to do, they all laugh at us, our own people and the terrorist alike. We are sitting ducks, just take us out one at a time...love you pop, love your hubs, and your are sooo completely awesome. Your fan, friend forever...peace on Earth, darski
Dear Darlene,
Well, we can stop flying until the TSA gets the message or we can bombard our representatives and tell them how how we resent being treated like terrorists. It's interesting that the Ambassador from India was patted down and India went berserk. Hillary Clintons apologized and said she was going to look into the procedures. I guess she matters more than we do. Happy New Year, Darlene.
This young man really doesn't like the whole idea. Please read here. http://tinyurl.com/2brsydt Of course a high
price was paid ...
Good morning Wealthmadehealthy,
Thanks for the link. There have been other instances of protest and no doubt there will be more as soon as these scanners become more prevalent. Finally, Napolitano is in Israel to get some advice about security. it's about time!
Tom Whitworth Level 5 Commenter 17 months ago
Pop,
Ms Claire Hirschkind is just but one example of big government run amuck. The TSA thugs are following all of BIG GOVERNMENT'S examples in thier failure to use common sense instead they buried it six feet deeper.