| The Kensington Review |
17 August 2005 |
| Latest Commentary: | Volume IV, Number 98 |
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TSA’s “No-Fly” List Keeps Babies Grounded --
As part of the nation’s effort to keep the skies clear of terrorists, the Transportation Security Administration has come up with a list of people who are not allowed to fly commercial airlines in the US. The TSA says these people are security threats. A good idea, however, when implemented badly is counter-productive. In its zeal, the TSA has created a name-based system that manages to keep children who have yet to celebrate their first birthdays from flying because, based on their names, they are a threat to national security. If one listens carefully, one can hear Usama bin Laden laughing in his luxury cave in Pakistan.
Iraqi Security Forces Need a Cause as Much as Training -- Regardless of where one stands on the issue of the war in Iraq, all sides agree that the best solution lies in the Iraqi people looking after their own concerns, and especially when it comes to security. As the president is fond of saying, “As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.” The key, so the world has come to believe, is in training Iraqis to do the job of protecting Iraqis. While the pro- and anti- camps argue over how many combat ready troops have been trained, the real question is, for what will they be fighting? Gas Prices Start to Bite -- The price of gasoline in the US has risen 60% in the last year, 14 cents in the last two weeks. While Yanks pay a fraction of the price drivers elsewhere must fork over to fill up, the sudden increase is forcing a reassessment of the family budget and driving habits. The Butterfly Effect here is a general slowdown in the economy with continuing rising prices – the seeds of stagflation have been sown, and one can only hope they don’t sprout. Kirk and Michael Douglas Documentary Includes Warts -- “A Father... a Son... Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” premiered over the week-end on HBO, a documentary about the lives, careers and relationships of Kirk Douglas and his son Michael. Most projects where actors discuss their lives are self-serving pieces that publicists suggest when they run out of ideas. Indeed, the only thing more tedious than listening to some actors talk about themselves is listening to writers do the same. This one is a bit different, though, because it includes the ugly bits as well. © Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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