Airport security is a pain in the ass. It is often necessary to show up hours early in order to make it to the gate in time for a flight. Every passenger's belongings are inspected thoroughly, and some travelers are randomly subjected to strip searches. Privacy is a thing of the past when it comes to commercial flight.

  Why do people put up with this? They tolerate it because it makes them feel safer to know that all the other people getting on the plane, including potential terrorists, are suffering the same indignations. And that's okay, to some extent. If someone's trying to hide a butcher knife or a gun in a carryon bag, we want the airlines to know about it, and we're willing to sacrifice a little dignity (and the odd Swiss army knife) for that knowledge.

However, in the aftermath of the forestalled U.K. liquids plot, every passenger who wants to bring a bottle of shampoo on a business trip is forced to check luggage. We can’t even bring a can of Sprite into the airport terminal. This isn’t because there’s any real threat - the amount of equipment necessary for an explosion large enough to harm more than the person holding it would be obvious to airport security officers, especially if they were looking for it.

Why, then, would the government subject its loyal citizens to such inconvenience? The answer is simple: keeping our attention. When American minds are busy worrying about national security, a perpetual “what-if” that nothing can really be done about, they don’t have time to ask important questions about clear-cut problems that are affecting us right now.

It's not the only shiny thing the government flashes to keep us busy

Terrorism is not the only shiny thing the government flashes to keep us busy. Look over here! Drugs! Abortion! Two dudes getting hitched! It's safe to funnel public attention to subjects such as these, because they will never be resolved. Everyone has an opinion, and few people are likely to change their views, causing endless argument and minimal action.

The debate about gay marriage is too heated for Americans to think about the immensity of the national deficit. They're too busy arguing about whether marijuana should be legalized to notice that health care in America is excruciatingly insufficient. People who are spending all of their time protesting at abortion clinics aren’t wondering why nothing is being done about the environmental crisis. These “issues” only distract us from the important things, the real issues we should be focusing on, the ones that affect us all.

The so-called war on drugs will never be won. Crackheads will keep using crack, potheads will keep using pot, drug traffickers will keep finding ways to supply addicts with the substances they crave, and old white men will keep telling voters that something can be done about it. Similarly, women will get abortions whether or not it is legal to do so. A law banning the practice will only mean that it will be done in back alleys with coat hangers, and more women will die doing it. And forbidding gay marriage won’t discourage gay people from having relationships; it will only restrict the benefits they get from them.

Are these things right or wrong? That’s a matter of personal belief. Morals are something that America will never agree upon, because we’ve all been raised differently. Our multicultural, diverse heritage is one of the most defining aspects of our country. Legislating ethical dilemmas will serve no purpose except the one Big Brother wants it to serve: getting voters fired up over problems that are not resolvable.

Splattering the liquids plot all over our eyes serves that same purpose, in a more personal, fear-based way. Yes, terrorism is a threat, and we’re willing to let people in uniforms root around in our personal belongings for the sake of discouraging it. We want our government to take action for our well-being. But depriving airline customers of chapstick is not taking action.

Tell us what you think. Write Spectrum at editor@mcckc.edu.

Copyright 2006 Metropolitan Community College