I know that guy!
So the battle of the pat-downs is temporarily over. The judge has ruled that the pat-downs at Ray-Jay are not warranted because of any potential terrorism. I'm not sure exactly what a swipe of the hands across the sides of a person was going to find. If we're really this concerned, it might be time to consider metal detectors. Just about every museum and other attraction I visited while I was in Europe had them, and not once did I feel like my privacy was being invaded.
I really have nothing new to bring to this story, but I do feel like I have a personal connection to it. Gordon Johnston, the man who along with the ACLU brought the lawsuit against the Tampa Sports Authority, happens to have been my high school AP US History teacher! I was his teacher's aide during my senior year as well. Even then you could see his belief in strong civil liberties - we spent many days in that class playing Twister. He was also the first person I ever heard tell this joke:
Johnston: What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino?
Class (begrudginly): What?
Johnstons: 'El-eph-i-no!
Class: Where's the Twister mat?
Don't look too hard; there's a joke in there somewhere, but it's not worth it.
He was a pretty decent guy, though. His wife was a fantastic math teacher. That's all I've got.
Posted by Joel at 10/28/2005 02:55:00 AM
« Home