By the time I got to the airport on Monday I was exhausted from the long activity packed weekend, rain, and search for a cab. I expected security to be more stringent than normal after the near miss in Times Square on Saturday night. I had been there around 4:30 PM and and a bit after One AM and hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
I was totally spacey Monday morning as I stood on the security line. In the summer of 2001 I had bought a pair of clogs that have Botticelli’s angels on them. They were pretty and different. I didn’t know they would become my designated airport shoes–first because I thought it was clever/cute to walk on the wings of angels. Then for all the reasons people would wear clogs with angels after 9/11. Maybe they did have special powers. Sure. Definitely because they’re easy to slide on and off.
The man in front of me had coarse gray hair tied into a messy ponytail. (Love long hair on men as long as it’s neat and this was the opposite.) I stared at his beige tee shirt. For a few seconds I thought the beautiful lettering was advertising a new drink company. “NJ teaparty…” Then I woke up. I live in the South and have never seen a teaparty tee shirt. The writing underneath said “save the country from tyranny.” It was a beautiful shirt. Retro looking as if it were advertising a late 60’s rock concert. Not a concert I would want to go to or a tee I would want to wear.
I felt physically sick. He was with a much a younger boy who would probably set the alarms off from all piercings he had. Maybe not but I’m too or something to appreciate pierced unkempt eyebrows. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so turned off had the eyebrows been tamed just a bit.
The older man turned to me and smiled: Going to Ohio?
Ohio?, I thought, oh today’s May 3, 2010. Tomorrow’s the 40th anniversary of Kent State. Please god if there is one don’t let this man be a former hippie going to mourn the deaths of four people I never met but have always felt a connection to.
There were National Guard stationed throughout the airport. I heard the man say to the boy: See them? You never saw them before Obama. It’s an infringement on our rights
I wanted to tell him what an idiot he was. And I was confused. Don’t Tea Party people like having military or quasi-military around? Aren’t they into national security and think Obama is screwing that up?
Had he never been to Penn Station? Manhattan in general? Airports for the last almost nine years? I remember seeing many more when Bush was president and never thought it a horrible thing.
I felt almost physically ill. Kent State and Tea Party people mixed together. Not in my America.
The National Guard went crazy in Kent State. Now they are troops, good people usually who don’t shoot just to kill Americans they disdain, and serve too many tours in wars I don’t understand. President Obama is trying to do something about that.
I changed lines to a faster one. Really I changed so I could get away from the man and boy. I didn’t want to spend the morning after a great weekend feeling sick. I did anyway.
Interesting man, I don’t think I’ve seen a National Guardsman in an airport since Georgie Boy–and they were then carrying M-16s. It’s odd to think its been 40 years since Kent State. I was in the 7th grade.
@Sage
It almost over took the weekend. Come to think of it I haven’t seen many National Guardsmen since Bush. They used to be all over Penn Station and I’m usually there a couple times each time I’m in NY which seems to be often. I guess they’re back. Have to ask my best friend who works in Penn Plaza
Yeah, I think he meant 9/11, not Obama. No problem, I get them mixed up myself.
@Doug
No he was ranting about Obama. One thing I’ve learned here is that terrorism is something that happens under Democrats–apparently Bush wasn’t president when 9/11 happened.
I saw 9/11 used last year as a prelude to 9/12 tea party day and can’t decide whether to let it happen again this year and video it or begin complaining soon. Doug you’re rational; you’re good. I’m not saying these people aren’t good people but I was in Manhattan on 9/11. I know what happened and how it changed a city forever in many ways
Only you could weave a brief airport conversation in with pierced eyebrows, tea parties and a pair of Botticelli’s so seamlessly.
You know there was an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine wore Botticelli’s, right? 🙂
Actually, from what I gather, their creed seems to be: If Bush did it, he was protecting us. If Obama does it, he is infringing on our rights.
I saw Bill O’Reilly on Good Morning America today. I found myself thinking that Beck/Limbaugh/Hannity etc. have made O’Reilly sound almost reasonable. Talk about scary.
That’s it universe. You win.
@Bone
OMG no I didn’t. Now I have to watch everyone. Except that my Botticelli clogs came out after the show ended. Still….
@TonyG
That’s so funny Tony as I was watching O’Reilly and thought “no, he can’t sound half normal, no.” Well it’s not funny
And you’re exactly right and I’m sick of it. So sick of people talking about Bush as if he were a good president and 9/11 happened under the Dems. If they could they would make it seem that Obama was president then
@Bone
Sage, that’s the thing about Pia. I bet she puts octopus in her flower arrangements and I bet it works.
@Doug
Doug how did you know?
@pia
Yep! At first, she acts like she is annoyed that everyone is talking about her shoes. But in the end, of course, she was secretly loving the attention.
I can’t remember what else happens in that episode. Oh wait, I think that’s the one where George gets caught staring at cleavage!
“You don’t stare at cleavage. It’s like looking at the sun. You get a sense of it, then look away.”
Well everybody loves angel shoes 🙂 And uh cleavage–something else I know too well 🙂
I felt almost physically ill. Kent State and Tea Party people mixed together. Not in my America. Mine either but only you could write that and make is sound legitimate and almost legal.
@cooper
Thanks Cooper! It’s been bothering me more and more all week. Especially since I’ve been learning more about tea party people and many are former liberals. or so they called themselves. They must be bigoted to hate President Obama so much and more than anything I hate racial prejudice.