As IF Times

link Why is Karl Rove taking shots at Sarah Palin and Christine ODonnell? – CSMonitor.com.

The same kind of affliction that savages the left also exists on the right.  That is to say, neither side are completely monolithic in their worldviews and certainly strong personalities within the groups will differ on specific philosophies.  While the left claim to represent the common working man, the truth is, the dominant figures are unabashedly elitist and have as much to do with the common man as sweet breads have to dough. 

When you have uber rich people like Nancy Pelosi, James Cameron, Warren Buffet, Al Gore and George Soros telling people how to best conduct themselves, it’s a head scratcher as to why people who are actually working class,  would identify with them.   As if Warren can identify with paying a mortgage or feeding the kids.  As if Al burns fluorescent bulbs in his villas.

While they claim the high roads of compassion and tolerance, their most vocal proponents in the media have never travelled them.  Many couldn’t find those roads with a box of GPS’s and a guide dog.  It’s great TV to watch the insane outbursts of a Joy Behar or a  Bill Maher or the more subtle guffaws offered by nonsensical people like George Stephanopolous or Katie Couric. 

But no doubt, many saner residents of the left cringe when someone who claims to represent them spouts off with some irrational outburst; Keith Obermann comes to mind.  As well, the antics of the Black Panthers and SEIU are sure to send lefties scurrying to hiding their membership cards.

On the other side of the political fence, conservatives no doubt grimace every time Meghan Mccain, with her valley girl lilt,  deigns to speak for the right.  At the moment, there is an obvious rift between the ‘established’ right, represented by Karl Rove and the ‘new right’, represented of course by Sarah Palin.  Conservatives like Rove have to be careful because much of the elitist accusations that have been thrust at Democrats apply to the GOP as well.  I wonder how Karl felt about Ronald Reagan in his time.

Rove, while certainly a political genius, has spent all of his life in this space.  The disdain he shows for upstarts such as Palin and Christine O’Donnell smacks strongly of  elitism.  Like the other side, he is in danger of proposing that politics become a club for professionals only and that common people need not apply. 

This kind of mentality is what led to the decimation of the Republican party and which perception lingers in the minds of voters despite the reality.  Not everyone can be a professional BS’er.  Occasionally people with real lives are valid candidates.  The last thing we need are two elitist parties.

link BAA backs call to end redundant airport security checks | World news | guardian.co.uk.

It’s starting to happen!  Not long after the report of the pilot who refused to be molested at airport security points, the Brits are bringing some sanity to the process as well.  Finally! 

After all this time some movement to curb the ridiculous tactics employed at airport security checkpoints is at hand.  The hamfisted methods used at US airports were emulated at airports throughout the world for the past 10 years.  This article brings a glimmer of hope that this will change.

While they screened 100% of the passengers to filter out 0.000001% that posed any danger to the public, they failed to guard against much more pressing and dangerous issues affecting fliers.  Far more dangerous to most travellers are the other fliers who are allowed on board with obvious illnesses such as hacking coughs.  Anyone who has ever had to suffer sitting next to a wheezing and hacking passenger for greater than 4 hours knows how terrorized and trapped they can feel. 

Same thing for body odors.  It is very traumatic and inhuman to be forced to sit next to someone with blatant disregard for personal hygiene.  You are essentially marinating in the sweet fragrance for hour after tortured hour.  Having the plane go down in a fiery ball may be considered merciful in comparison.

The third horror is to be seated next to someone who clearly requires the space of 2 seats to support their massive bodies.   There are few things less appealing in life than to sit nose to armpit with someone overflowing like lava into your seat space.  

If you happen to get all three of the above scenarios all rolled into one, well, that should  be grounds for some kind of compensatory damages from the airline and perhaps even a tax holiday for one year. 

If you asked  most people if they’d prefer to take their chances with more logical and less invasive screening with the slim likelihood of terror action or the chance to have the above 3 described experiences removed from possibility, I’d bet lots of money they’d vote for  the latter.   The only terror most people face is to look about the boarding area and pray that someone with any of these issues won’t be seated next to them.  It’s time to recognize that the only people who’ve really been terrorized all this time have been air travellers.  Time to end the terror.