9-11 anniversary hysteria in the skies

during all the self-congratulatory hoopla coinciding with the 9-11 anniversary on sunday, over the sunny skies of the greatest, freest country in the history of the universe, certain individuals were plotting to ruin some other individuals' days by alleging -- anonymously, of course -- that they were terrorists.

imaging touching down at an airport, being surrounded by police and then placed into custody -- without knowing what the fuck is going on. then you find out that the good old USA's fear-mongering, xenophobic, flag-waving patriotic dickheads have shown their true colors, and you come to know what the rest of the world already sees: this country is the pinnacle of hypocrisy.

we may tout our values of freedom, human rights and unity in diversity, but it's all a cynical con game. if you're not a white-bread, evangelical christian republican, then you are a target, and whatever happens to you is just collateral damage -- even if you're a US citizen. so it is that the people victimized on 9-11 by paranoid nazis on an airliner had to suck it up and just deal with it:

Airport detainee says she was a victim of racial profiling – USATODAY.com: "Hebshi believes she and the other men were victims of racial profiling, which is illegal. But legality has little to do with reality, said Bob Rigg, a Drake professor of criminal law.
"The reality is that there is a profile out there," Rigg said. "The 9/11 terrorists looked a certain way and were of certain descent. Once that profile is out there in the minds of people, it's almost impossible to erase."
Berchtold, the FBI agent, said, "The public would rather us err on the side of caution."
Rigg empathizes with the dilemma, which puts two of the nation's most prized assets in conflict: security vs. liberty.
"You're the agent on the ground and you get a report of suspicious activity on a plane on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, with a terror alert out," he said. "What would you do? On the other hand, you're a person who is dragged off an airplane in handcuffs, locked in a cell and strip-searched. That's a horribly traumatic experience. All you were doing was trying to go home.""

it is a parody and a mockery of what this country is supposed to be about. if you're not on the good list -- and so many of us aren't -- then you know what these people went through. if you're a member of the club, it probably sounds like a bit of bad luck, and it could've happened to anyone. that's bullshit. when you fit the "profile," you constantly have to deal with the humiliation and inconvenience of dealing with cops and government stooges trying to incriminate and entrap for even innocent activities. you quickly learn that what you were taught in school was a load of wank, and there is no liberty and justice for all.

it's nice if you can get it, though -- but chumps jump up to get beat back down. welcome to the USA!