For the Protection of the People and the State

Another sophisticated terrorist plot foiled. And, as a result, now “For the Protection of the People and the State,” we cannot take a bottle of water onto airplanes. Can you doubt but what you will see emergency legislation enacted soon? But let’s look at the positive side. Who is going to benefit by this threat?

First, no food or drinks can be brought on board an airplane. The folks hawking nutrients on airplanes are going to profit.

Second, when Hitler couldn’t discover a plot against the state and the people to give him an excuse to consolidate his power, he invented one. Plots are welcomed by would-be dictators as opportunities to quickly enact legislation “For the Protection of the People and the State” that would be laughed down in Plot-free times.

And Third, the author of the most recent book saying that World War Three is part of God’s Plan, and that The End of The World is upon us, is going to make a lot of money. His great-grandchildren will have summer estates on the coast of Maine and winter estates on the Costa Del Sol.

Now, let’s ask ourselves --- how sophisticated were these would-be terrorists? They were stupid enough to get caught. Do the really slick professional evil terrorists who are killing and incapacitating Americans, raising our health insurance rates, and making our lives miserable in general get caught? Every year more than 400,000 Americans die from cigarette smoking. That’s like 1100 Americans dying in plane crashes every day. If Al Qaeda wanted to get serious about killing Americans, they’d send operatives here who would quietly join Rotary and sell cigarettes.