RUSH: Here’s Jim in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It’s great to have you on the EIB Network. Hello, sir.
CALLER: Hello, Rush. You know, I was just sitting here thinking — before I get to why I called — back several years ago when you had your hearing problems, I had so much admiration for you, Rush, when you dealt with that so… so ‘strongly,’ I guess is a good word. And good for you, guy.
RUSH: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that.
CALLER: Well, sure. That must have been very difficult. And I wish you a lot of happiness, by the way, in your new marriage.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: And years of reasons to smile, huh? Anyway, I want to talk about the security thing at the airport. But not… Let’s just focus on the security angle versus the ‘groping,’ as you said and so on and so forth. Okay?
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: This is a question I have for you, my friend. You’re at the airport and you’re gonna get on a plane, but in this case there’s two planes — and they’re both going to Los Angeles from wherever — and one on the right, the people are going on that plane have been the new system, and the people on the left getting on the plane going through the old system. And my question, sir, is which plane would you want to get on?
RUSH: Well, what’s the old system?
CALLER: Well, two weeks ago or three weeks ago when there wasn’t the full body x-rays and so on and so forth.
RUSH: Right.
CALLER: Just the old way.
RUSH: Well, I’ll tell you what I would do. If that’s the case I’m probably able to see the people getting on whichever plane, and —
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: — I would make my decision based on who I see getting on these airplanes.
CALLER: A-ha! Well, and by the way, to add a little levity here, the fatties are all on the one plane. (chuckles)
RUSH: (laughing)
CALLER: So maybe I understand where you’re coming from.
RUSH: Well, I know what your point is. Your point is, ‘Hey, look, this is at least guaranteeing that airplanes are safe when you get on because the people are being totally patted down and screened.’
CALLER: Right, yes, I do.
RUSH: Right.
CALLER: Exactly.
RUSH: They’re also ticked off like crazy. They’re also angry as they can be, not that they’re gonna crash the airplane or anything. But, no. My point is — I fully understand what you’re asking — I would check to see who is getting on. That would matter far more to me than these pat-downs, because there are certain people who aren’t being patted down. Not everybody’s going through this, I have to say. The real question is: What would Juan Williams do? I think if I was faced with that dilemma I’d put a call in to Fox News and I’d see if they could send Juan Williams to the airport and tell me which one would he be afraid to get on and then whichever one he’s afraid to get on, that’s the one I would not board. I would use the Juan Williams Method. I appreciate the call out there, Jim.
Tim in Chelsea, Alabama, welcome to the EIB Network. Great to have you here, sir.
CALLER: Thank you, sir. Retired Army dittos.
RUSH: Thank you very much.
CALLER: Yes, sir. The question I’ve got is, if Mr. Pistole and Secretary Napolitano of the TSA and homeland defense (sic) —
RUSH: Yes?
CALLER: — are so concerned and they’re going out and saying, ‘Well, we’re doing this because of the underwear bomber and other things,’ why did they wait ten or 11 months before they instituted the new procedures?
RUSH: The story is that they had to wait because the scanners were not all in.
CALLER: Well, if you got either the scanners or the pat-down, and they didn’t have the scanners, why didn’t they institute the pat-down months ago?
RUSH: Yeah, they started on… Well, Janet Napolitano said it’s because of homegrown terrorists. Your question is great. I asked the same question earlier: What caused this? Two weeks ago, two years ago, two months ago, this was not happening. What changed? You know, what’s the catalyst for it? That’s your question, right?
CALLER: Yes, sir.
RUSH: The answer is the elections.
CALLER: Yes, sir. I completely concur, and I think that as you stated earlier, this is payback to the American people, and they are instituting their version of a police state.
RUSH: A lot of people think that.
CALLER: Yes, sir. I can understand why.
RUSH: A lot of people think that. Like we got a woman on the phone from St. Louis that we’re not gonna have time to take her call but I know what she’s going to say. Her theory is that this is just a prelude to the government taking over the airline transportation industry, just a prelude for that. ‘The only real way we can make this safe is the government running everything. Nationalize the airlines.’ Look, nothing is outside the realm of possibility. Look at what’s happened in this country in two years.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: All right, try this theory, folks. The airlines eventually go bankrupt because of this, thanks to these aggressive searches and pat-downs. They start hemorrhaging money, and just like with the auto industry the government has to go in there and take over and run them the right way. And then, magically, the screening techniques are relaxed and the TSA workers are unionized, and problem solved! Just remember: November 23rd, 2010, we authored the theory, the potentiality. We’ll see.