Security
Lately, the news of America's terror of terrorism
Has become a thousand freshly dug Fresh Kills landfills
That reporters, anchors, and pundits have filled to overflowing.
The most flagrant of the detritus is spawning toxic paranoia,
Which appears to be more than the mere byproduct of al-Qa'eda
That our Dept. of Homeland Pusillanimity previously estimated.
Indeed, this Tuesday, at Meadows Field, in Bakersfield, California,
"Suspicious material," in luggage destined to be checked,
Testing positive for traces of explosive,
Turned out to be honey in Gatorade bottles.
What troubled TSA officials wasn't that the snafu occurred,
Certainly not the inconvenience of having to close the airport,
But the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the malaise
Of which two security officers complained,
On reporting feeling ill, for being exposed to the bottles.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Suffered a massive evacuation
When an eager-to-please police dog detected a "suspicious" bag.
This past Sunday, at Newark Liberty International Airport,
A surveillance camera streamed irretrievable images of a boyfriend
Who'd slipped into a secure area, to kiss his departing beloved,
Completely shutting down the terminal for six ripple-effect hours.
Is this sign of the times the new shoe removal?
Will our news media continue to abet suicide bogeybombers?
And if so, what can we do to keep our airports open,
Our planes flying, our citizens confident they'll arrive alive,
Into a future that guarantees a body scanner in every doorway?
01/06/10 - (1)
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