TSA: Target-Shifting Administration

So, the TSA is on the offensive, defending their offensive actions.

Yeah, I know. That sentence doesn't sound right. But then, neither does what the TSA is doing.

They're under the impression that inconvenient means safe. It doesn't. It means inconvenient.

They're also under the impression that arrogant bastards mean protectors. It doesn't. It means arrogant bastards.

And, they're under the impression that creating long lines of people in public places is safe. It isn't. It's a target.

Think about it.

If a terrorist wants to cause fear around air travel, what to they have to do? Take out an airplane?

No. They have to take out a lot of people.

Take, say, a DC-10. They hold from 250-380 passengers.

Passengers wait in line at a security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta. Image source: MSN

Take, say, an airport. In September, 2010, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson had 7,261,721 passengers travel through its gates. That means in 10 minutes, on average 1,681 people go through the gates in 10 minutes. There are three checkpoints: North Terminal, South Terminal, and Main Checkpoint.

If all three are operating, and handling the same number of people, then, in 10 minutes, 560 people will go through a checkpoint.

Of course, some times it will be a lot less. Some times it will be a lot more. But, the point is, in 10 minutes time, on average, nearly twice as many people are waiting to get through a gate in Atlanta as will be on a DC-10.

So, where does the terrorist need to strike? On a plane?

No. They have the TSA making a lot of people stand together for minutes at a time. And that's where they will hit, when they next hit air traffic. On the ground. At the long line the TSA has for you.

And, when that happens, what will be next? The TSA moving the checkpoints to the entrance to the airport building itself? Wouldn't surprise me. Because all that does is shift the target.

You see, to me, that's the problem with how the TSA is handling things. Well, the whole handling of people's boobs and genitals and such, too. But all the TSA has succeeded in doing is making people miserable and shifting the terrorists' target from 30,000 feet in the air to 560 bodies standing in line.

Nine years and this is what they came up with?

And liberals want the government running things.

Wife on tehFacebook

It finally happened.

After telling her sister, mother, brother, daughters, friends ... everyone who'd listen and others who wouldn't ... Wife finally broke down and set up a Facebook account.

I understand her hesitancy. She's heard stories about all the privacy concerns ... as well as others joking or complaining about things others do on tehFacebook.

But, I'd occasionally mention things someone said on tehFacebook ... family members, mostly ... and she'd laugh or ask about it before she realized that she was supposed to take the Facebook-is-stupid attitude.

Of course, my saying how stupid tehFacebook is didn't help. But I have a Facebook account. And, yes, it's stupid. But, I still have an account.

We'd go out to eat lunch, she'd grab a table at the Subway while I'd order the food. And, when I got to the table, she'd have the iPad open to tehFacebook, reading things family had posted on their wall.

I knew the day would come. And, this week, it did.

Wife set up her own account on tehFacebook. And, of course, it didn't take me long to find out.

I helped her with the security settings, so that she had full control (as much as tehFacebook allows, anyway) on who could see what. Turned most of the settings to "Friends Only" and turned some off altogether.

Now, she's a lot more comfortable with it. She's not ready to jump in full with it, though. She's not asked very many people to be friends. And, she's not accepted many friend requests.

So, if you know her, and send her a friend request, don't be upset if she doesn't accept the request right off. It's not personal.

At least, I don't think it is. That's what I'm telling myself. Because she still hasn't accepted my friend request.

Sarah Palin can do it all

What can Sarah Palin do?

The better question is: What can Sarah Palin not do?

I discovered just how talented and versatile she is. She can quarterback Auburn University.

No, really. Look:

Source: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

It surprised me, to say the least.

With her leading Auburn on the gridiron, I suspect she's completely lost all the Boise State and Texas Christian fans. All 20 of them.

Nancy Pelosi: It wasn't my fault

I've been reading that Nancy Pelosi says the recent Democrat losses in the House of Representatives weren't her fault.

It sort of reminded me of Jake's excuses in The Blues Brothers:



What does it remind you of?

Terys cantt spel ... % niether cann teh cabel compeny

There's a store in the area -- Terry's Grocery in Smiths Station, Alabama -- that runs ads on local cable.

Somebody can't spell. Probably an Auburn graduate.



Want to see the whole commercial? No? Then skip to about 20 seconds into this:



I'm not sure who's responsible for this, but I blame both the grocery story and the cable company.

If the store sent the copy with those misspellings, then they're stupid and are to blame. And so it the cable company because they're airing it despite the obvious mistake. Stupid cable company.

If, though, the cable company made those mistakes, then, of course, the cable company is stupid for not fixing it. And the store is stupid for paying the cable company to make them look like a bunch of asses.

I'm sure all the people involved in this are nice. Okay, I have no idea if they're nice or not.

When you hear people from the south say about someone else, "Bless their heart," this is what we're talking about.

RockMelt

I'm always trying out new browsers and such. Seems I can't be satisfied with anything. That's my feminine side, I suppose.

When Netscape was the only browser worth a darn, I was trying out Internet Explorer 3.

When Internet Explorer was ruling the world, I was looking at Mozilla and Firefox. Oh, and Opera.

When I got a Mac, I rarely used Safari, opting for Firefox and Chrome.

Now, I'm trying out RockMelt. It's that new browser from some of the old Netscape crew. And, I'm not sure what I think about it. It's different.

RockMelt is based on Chromium, which is Google's browser-buildy-stuff.

It's very Facebook-y. But, it's Twitter-y, too. See?



Of course, being old, I think Facebook is lame. As is Twitter.

Of course, being geeky, I use Twitter. And Facebook. Some.

So, I'm trying out the RockMelt. And, I suspect, it'll be the greatest thing ever.

Until I go back to using something else. Like I always do.

Don't give in, Nancy

Them internets are crawling with stories that Democrats in Congress are wanting Nancy Pelosi to step aside as that party's leader in the House of Representatives.

I think she should stay on the job. Not that you could say "job well done" about her. On the contrary, she's led this country down the road to hell.

But, that's exactly why she should stay on the job.

With Nancy Pelosi as the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, she's a reminder of what happens when you put a bunch of socialists in charge of important things. And everyone knows that socialists should be in charge of getting their dirt out of Boss Kean's ditch ... and nothing more.

If the Democrats replace Nancy Pelosi, they might pick someone who doesn't remind Americans that Democrats are idiots who shouldn't be trusted.

So, I really really want her to stay in charge of the House Democrats.

They deserve each other.