AMERICA: What We’ve Become

Holy Week takes its glorious toll … on everything (even, thanks God, blogging). And yet, while for Orthodox Christians today is Good Friday, the world goes on. Given that, the world and all, the opening paragraphs of this piece are worth a read — mainly for the commentary on who we are and what we’ve become …

America is in line at the airport. America has its shoes off, is carrying a rubberized bin, is going through a magnetometer. America is worried there is fungus on the floor after a million stockinged feet have walked on it. But America knows not to ask. America is guilty until proved innocent, and no one wants to draw undue attention. America left its ticket and passport in the jacket in the bin in the X-ray machine, and is admonished. America is embarrassed to have put one one-ounce moisturizer too many in the see-through bag. America is irritated that the TSA agent removed its mascara, opened it, put it to her nose, and smelled it. Why don’t you put it up your nose and see if it explodes? America thinks.

And, as always: Why do we do this when you know I am not a terrorist, and you know I know you know I am not a terrorist? Why this costly and harassing kabuki when we both know the facts, and would agree that all this harassment is the government’s way of showing “fairness,” of showing that it will equally humiliate anyone in order to show its high-mindedness and sense of justice? Our politicians congratulate themselves on this as we stand in line.

It’s Peggy Noonan, so you might guess her politcal views. Even if you disagree with them, and many shall, the opening paragraphs and the final one are spot on.

Read it, at least those paragraphs, HERE.