Filling in for George, Ian Punnett hosted a night of Open Lines. Several callers phoned in to sound off on airport security and the new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) search procedures. Wade from Ault, Colorado wondered why TSA is not allowed to profile (ask probing questions, etc.) when U.S. customs agents at official border crossings are allowed to do it. George in Indianapolis, perhaps affected by news of the man forced by TSA to remove his urostomy bag, challenged the security agents to try the same thing on him -- George revealed that he wears a colostomy bag.
Another caller from Indiana related a recent experience he had at the airport. He told Ian he has an artificial knee and was both scanned and patted down by TSA, while his wife was put through security with little to no examination. He suggested the government do background checks on people who fly, rather than search them at the airport. Barry in Osaka, Japan shared a different kind of airport story involving a vision of a crashing plane. According to Barry, he not only foresaw a plane disaster but was at the airport the same day the doomed Air India Flight 182 took off in June of 1985. He said his brother even remembers watching passengers board the aircraft.
World Affairs
In the first hour, author Howard Bloom commented on various situations around the world. According to Bloom, the recent Irish banking system failures could potentially cause a domino-crash effect in other European Union nations, including Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and Italy, as each country tries to bail out the others. Bloom also commented on the crisis on the Korean Peninsula and potential war scenario brewing there, as well as the new and unpopular U.S. airport security measures. He advised Americans to redirect their focus away from the intrusive TSA search procedures (scanners and pat downs) and instead work to create a vision and vibrant future for the nation.