The Prince George Airport has arrived in the big times. As well as the inconvenience and time wasted by going through airport security, we now have the body scanner.The terrorists have won. We are now spending millions, no billions, of dollars on air travel security. The security leech sucks up money that could otherwise be used for heath care, education, highways, seniors, assisted housing and dozens of other things. The whole security system is a leech getting more bloated every day.Add to the costs of operation the cost of our time. We wait in line to be treated like suspected criminals. Our time has value as well. There is also a cost to our mental wellbeing. We are gradually being turned into paranoid cripples.Our freedoms are slowly and quietly being eroded. Most of the fault for that is we ourselves. Each time a threatening occasion arises, it is jumped upon by the media and magnified. The result is to create more fear so we demand our governments do something about it. Governments comply and pass legislation, which represses our personal freedoms further.There are better solutions. Why don’t we have a card we can apply for that would pass us straight through airport security? It would take the frequent flyers out of the line-up and make the security check faster for those who are not pre-cleared. Come to think about it, we already do, it is called a passport.Provincially, we have the new drinking and driving legislation. Tougher laws and penalties for impaired driving are good. The worrisome aspect of the new legislation is that the police officer is also the judge, jury and executioner. Few would disagree with the lower limit and higher punishment levels, but there is something wrong where this offence is handled in a different manner than other crimes. A clear and fair justice system is part of the foundation of our democracy. —Prince George Free Press
