If there was ever a question that Congress’s attitude was that they pass laws for other people (meaning us, the peasant class), listen to John Dingell whining about having to remove his trousers because the STEEL BRACE around his knee was setting off the alarms.
“I complied, but tried to do it with some small bit of dignity,” Dingell said, adding that afterward he couldn’t help seething to his wife, “Woman, do you realize what they made me do?” He added: “It seems to me that there was some incompetence involved here.”
After considering Dingell’s track record in Congress, his dignity seems to be something that is difficult to hurt anymore, but at least he perceives he was wronged. Dingell then called Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta, whose chief lackey stated “The secretary got ahold of Mr. Dingell and told him he is appalled.”
Why is he appalled? The screeners were doing their job, and I am not sure at this time if Dingell was his usual loud obnoxious self when it was announced that screeners are going to be required to have high school degrees.
Dingell recounted: “I said, ‘Norm, I’m not asking for an apology. And I know we don’t want any more events like September 11th. I don’t want any special treatment. I don’t want to be treated any better than anyone else, but I don’t want to be treated any worse either.’ “
If he doesn’t want special treatment, he should shut up and suffer the indignities that the rest of us are going through in the name of security. Norm Mineta’s number is not on my speed dial.