Elmo-wielding Terrorist Toddler Stars in Security Theater


I live in Washington, D.C.

10967282_3799e75522_m.jpg I have lived here since I moved to this great city from my native California in 1999, to attend graduate school. Back then, I went home at least twice a year; between Priceline.com’s $125 roundtrip fares and living three miles from Reagan National Airport, flying to NorCal was as easy as taking the “Metroliner” to New York City. I loved traveling. I loved the excitement, the anticipation, the permission I gave myself to buy mind-rotting magazines and over-priced candy from Hudson News, right before sauntering up to my gate.

Then, everything changed.

Traveling was no longer glamorous and thrilling, it was fraught and terrifying. Was it going to happen again? How could we stop it? How do you protect a massive, liberty-loving nation from crazed zealots who are willing to sacrifice their own lives for some twisted ideal?

Security. Lots and lots of security.

Lining up to be screened for hidden box-cutters or submitting to more thorough searches through our baggage made sense. We were trying to protect this country. We kept repeating, “Never again.” But somewhere between justifiable caution and utterly comprehensible fear, common sense was lost. What replaced it was an obtuse over-reliance on the obvious— but not your obvious or mine, no. It was the “obviousness” of the ignorant which suddenly became a battering ram of blunt discrimination used to profile, persecute and pervert.

I kept flying home, but now it took hours. Hours to get through security. Hours stuck during layovers in random cities. Hours to get to and from the airport, because my Mother was no longer able to pull up to a curb and wait five minutes for her child to leave baggage claim. And when I did leave baggage claim, I did what I always had— I rushed in to her waiting arms to be held, except now, instead of mutual joy, I was looking for comfort.

“They pulled me out of line and checked me TWICE”, I’d howl. And the more often it happened, the less I wanted to fly, anywhere. Watching everybody else get on a plane EXCEPT for the vaguely brown-looking people was depressing, then infuriating. When concerns were raised initially about how racist TSA’s procedures were, how discernment had been replaced with straight-up discrimination, things got worse, in my experience. I still got pulled out of line, but so did an 89-year old WASP in a wheelchair, in considerable pain, who was flying home to die. Watching TSA brusquely shove him around in his chair, looking for a weapon he was presumably sitting on, while he trembled broke my heart. Yes, this was justice indeed. Now the “extra screenings” were being conducted on brown people and the vulnerable, common sense be damned. I thought of all of this because I read this:

Azaad Singh cried when he entered the glass enclosure at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., airport for extra screening.

He was patted down. His bag was searched. And then the security officer went through his prized possessions: his first Elmo book, his second Elmo book, his mini-mail truck.

Azaad, whose name means “freedom,” is an American and a Sikh.

He’s 18 months old. [AP]

Because all Desis are barely two degrees apart, I think I have seen pictures of this child on Facebook. That made it even harder to read this news story, because my brain immediately fleshed out a grainy mental movie, starring this baby. I could picture him scared, crying and confused, and my heart cracked a bit. No, it’s not going to ruin his life and I’m sure he’s recovered quickly and is doing well. But I can’t help but hang my head in sorrow for the path this country is on, for the choices which are being made which result in “Security Theater” vs. actual security. Part of me wants to cry for Azaad, because he’ll never know the America that I grew up in, that I enjoyed for 26 years before everything went horribly wrong. I know, the correct response to this maelstrom of feelings is to get motivated, to get up, stand up, and shout for change. I’m willing to do that, but I’m also grimly aware of how much work it will take— and how little will come to us, as a result of it. I have the right to be dismayed. I don’t have many rights left. I’m keeping that one.

Azaad’s father, Amardeep Singh, told a House hearing Thursday that he’s not sure how he’ll one day explain to Azaad why he and his Sikh family seems to always need extra screening. [AP]

Now just to be clear— this is not our Amardeep Singh, who blogs at Sepia Mutiny and also has a precious toddler son. I don’t want to confuse anyone.

I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. I fly (ha.) in to a livid rage when a dog bullies my puppy at the dog park. I can’t fathom what feelings churn within when it is your baby being intimidated.

The House Judiciary civil rights subcommittee is exploring potential legislation to stop racial profiling. Witnesses proposed that Congress require studies to document how often particular groups of victims are stopped or arrested and whether they were threats to the United States. Legislation also should provide for legal redress for those who were wronged.

Witnesses told the committee that profiling remains a national problem for African-Americans; Hispanics are increasingly victims, especially in states and communities that have cracked down on illegal immigrants; and, since Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims and Sikhs have been regularly targeted.

“It’s not fair. It’s not safe. It’s not American,” said Singh, who was returning from a family vacation in Mexico two months ago when the incident occurred in Fort Lauderdale. He’s director of programs of The Sikh Coalition. He testified wearing a traditional Sikh turban. [AP]

He’s right. It’s not fair, it’s not keeping us safe and it’s not American. And poor little baby Azaad deserves more than this depraved reality show he was forced to star in, at the airport.

http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/006224.html

Views: 70

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Was a Planned Civil War Averted?
"cheeki kea, you are spot on. The old guard is about to collapse! "
13 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre
"cheeki kea, the Japanese thought they could expand their empire and exact enough damage on the US…"
13 hours ago
Michelle Reichert favorited Burbia's video
yesterday
cheeki kea posted a video

NEW DOCUMENTARY - Dissent Into Madness

TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES: https://www.corbettreport.com/dissent-into-madness/What if the delusions of the dissidents are in fact real? What if their paranoid f...
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre
"Japan served themselves up no favours by inching out into the South Pacific as they soon found out.…"
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Was a Planned Civil War Averted?
"Their plans did not work out because we are the news now, and the old news is the enemy. "
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre

The year is 1942 just a few months after the Pearl Harbor disaster. Despite losses suffered by the…See More
Tuesday
Doc Vega commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"With all due respect this guy comes off as a drunken asshole and he didn't even  know who…"
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Was a Planned Civil War Averted?

We are living in sadly historic times where good and evil are in battle all the time. Not that this…See More
Sunday
Sandy posted a photo
Sunday
Less Prone posted a video

President Trump addresses U.N. General Assembly - FULL SPEECH

President Donald Trump speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.Full video here: https://www.c-span.org/event/white-house-event/preside...
Sunday
Burbia posted a video

2 MIN AGO: Western Provinces MAJOR New WEXIT Announcement - Canada EXPLODES!

In a stunning turn of events, Western provinces just made a major new WEXIT announcement — and it’s shaking the foundations of Canadian unity. Is Western sep...
Saturday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

How You Provoke a Civil War

In the world of counter intelligence which is simply one aspect of many pertaining to asymmetrical…See More
Sep 26
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"I don't follow as much with Josh Reeves than I use to. He seems to be a documentary producing…"
Sep 25
Burbia posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

DONATE-paypal-dayglow76@yahoo.comCashapp-reevesradioVenmo-Josh-Reeves-61FILMS AND AUDIOBOOKS DOWNLOAD STORE-https://store.payloadz.com/results/242828-josh-re...
Sep 25
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Sep 25
tjdavis posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK VIDEO THAT KEEPS GETTING REMOVED OFF OF SEVERAL PLATFORMS

I had not planned to share this publicly, but I believe Advar, who spoke with Charlie Kirk while I was very ill, would have wanted me to. After my interview ...
Sep 25
pohonemas33 team commented on Chris of the family Masters's photo
Thumbnail

Gold-Coast-Message

"untuk bermain slot, kamu cukup kunjungi situs kacang99 pasti langsung gacor"
Sep 24
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Sep 24
Burbia posted a blog post

Former President Trump?

When was this article written? It is attributed to Victor Davis Hanson. He is a Fellow at Hoover…See More
Sep 22

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted