Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part Four

Feel stressed, disgusted, or irritable? It's fair to say that there's no dearth of such emotions among airline passengers. Thankfully, we now all have a strong reason to smile until our jaws hurts, or else. With a tip of the hat to reader Tom Karnofsky for pointing it out, here's Newsweek's Patti Davis, writing on the brave new security state:

It was bound to happen. Now even a frown or grimace can get you into trouble with The Man. "Specially trained security personnel" will be watching passengers for "micro-expressions" that will reveal treacherous agendas and insidious intentions at airports around the country. These agents, who may literally hold your fate in their hands have been given a lofty, Orwellian name: "Behavior Detection Officers." ... The Transportation Security Administration hopes to have as many as 500 Behavior Detection Officers [with the power to detain you, RvB] on the job by the end of 2008.

What a swell idea. Just too bad the government is keeping the deployment of the face police limited to airports. We could surely create a nationwide Stepford — a land of relentless civility and good cheer — if only we had undercover behavior detection officers patrolling our streets, our shops, our schools, our subways, our swap meets, and our sports arenas. Just for starters.

A lot of the Newsweek web commenters are irritated and disgusted with Patti Davis for writing a critical assessment of the new initiative. But no worries: like Davis herself, those grumps and grouches will be whisked away to a secret detention center soon enough.

Maybe that'll teach them to heed my good example:

Headline explanation here. Some guy called Benjamin Franklin weighs in here.

Comments

[fish]

Rogier,

IMPROPER ATTITUDE....report for re-neducation!

Just relax and let the hooks do their work!

[fish]

Either that or you've been using "New and Improved Joker Products" from the first Batman movie!

[George Arndt]

Be happy, the governement is keeping us safe! (message brought to you by the Department of Homeland Lobotomy)

[Nate]

Doesn't everyone have a pissed off look at the airport?