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The Obama Watch
Sotto Voce — Going Along with Mr. Obama in Imagining the Future
It all began with his little “pat-down” witticism.
In the course of rhapsodizing about high-speed rail in his state-of-the-union address, the president assayed a little humor. Feeble though the attempt was, it was a revealing moment. From the official White House transcript, this is what he said:
Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail. (Applause.) This could allow you to go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. For some trips, it will be faster than flying — without the pat-down. (Laughter and applause.)
Let us imagine that this president — unlike the 43 others before him — is blessed with 20-20 foresight. To him the future is an open book, and the rest of us dull mortals who doubted him during his first term are struck dumb with awe by the middle of his second term. In admitting how wrong he was for so long, Bob Tyrrell mans up and renames this publication The American Progressive.
In any case, it is now 2013 and 2014 and, much to our surprise, we discover that it is possible to travel from Peoria to Orlando in less than an hour by high-speed rail. We also notice the oceans have fallen, the world’s climate has taken a turn for the better (no more hurricanes, tsunamis, droughts, floods, tornadoes, thunder storms, heat lightning, or freakish weather of any sort), and everyone is happy to be driving an electric car, given to him (and, of course, her) free of charge, courtesy of Government Motors.
So all this was what Mr. Obama meant with all the talk about innovation and Winning the Future in the SOTU.
I am resolved to be a good progressive. I will banish every negative thought from my mind and go along with the president in imagining our future as the Socialist Republic of Green Industries and High-Speed Rail.
I tell myself not to think of how hard I laughed at the lightly concealed obscenity in Sarah Palin’s comment on Fox immediately following the president’s address (“His theme was WTF, you know ‘Winning the future,’ and I thought, okay, that acronym is spot on. There are a lot of WTF moments throughout that speech, Greta”). And it works. Through positive thinking I am able to forget all about that little witticism.
Soon — like the president — I am suffused by so many happy thoughts that I can’t stop smiling (or feeling sorry for the rest of you creeps who still don’t get it). Even so, I am plagued by a single nagging doubt. As a recent convert to thinking only happy thoughts about ever-increasing government “investment” and involvement in the betterment of lives, I must ask myself —
Why are there no pat-downs in our utopian rail stations?
Is it because the president and the chief of Homeland Security have excluded terrorists… told them that they, alone, will not be allowed to ride on our 600 mph bullet trains? Will we deny equal access to the terrorists, even if they agree to go along with all the same security precautions as nursing mothers and their babies, nonagenarians on walkers, and innocuous groups of Japanese business men?
That doesn’t sound very nice.
After all, it is not as though terrorists always prefer one-way air travel to rail. Surely the president recalls the Madrid and London train bombings.
I cannot believe we would be so barbaric as to adopt racial profiling on the high-speed rail system that will soon be crisscrossing the United States — weaving in and out wind farms and speeding across vast deserts covered with solar collector panels. Just think of what that involves.
Having waved pat-downs aside, must we deny rail tickets to all dark-complexioned young men with bushy beards, or to all women who cover themselves from head to toe in black burkas? Do we single out everyone who looks the part of a devout Moslem, just because of the bombings perpetrated by a few extremists?
Say it ain’t so, Mr. President.
The tender faith of new recruit to progressive enlightenment hangs on your response.
About the Author
Andrew B. Wilson, a frequent contributor to The American Spectator, writes from St. Louis.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (22) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Andrew B. Wilson
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Appleby| 1.31.11 @ 7:07AM
As anybody who reads will know, Lawrence of Arabia did not need to be on trains to blow them up. Many, many miles of track will go through areas of the country where entire batallions of Bad Guys can gather if they wish, and its much easier to set charges than it was back in World War I.
In fact, vandals who are skipping school in search of excitement can derail a high speed train.
But the most dangerous being in the whole scenario will be the engineer who is texting somebody about the score of last nights Knicks Game when the train ahead of him gets a red light.
justasimplepatriot| 1.31.11 @ 8:43AM
The problem today is that America is living up to Obama's expectations. He inspires decline. He invites decay - both in spirit and in material things. He prefers disgrace to danger and embraces a third-world vision for the future of this country. He does not trust the common man and therefore is an enemy of the Constitution.
It is a tragedy so immense it defies description and may well be beyond repair.
Ken (Old Texican)| 1.31.11 @ 9:02AM
Mr. Wilson,
Watch for Booger's comment.
He is better at satire than you.
President Eisenhower had 20-20 foresight. He understood way back when how vulnerable train-tracks and trains are.....to bombs...and any other sabotage one might conjure up.
(Interstate hiways are almost impervious to meaningful sabotage on a meaningful level.)
Mr. Obama, communist, (pardon the shorthand), that he is, really only wants trains enough to send American patriots to the American re-education camps.
I shall not board the train.
Occam's Tool| 1.31.11 @ 11:49AM
I would recommend The Lincoln Train, an award winning short story, for some perspective on this.
Pete| 1.31.11 @ 11:52AM
As long as the tracks and stations don't get within blast radius of where our ruling class elites congregate, who cares? That must be the rationale.
WilliamInWien| 1.31.11 @ 12:12PM
Pat downs upon boarding trains? BHO will have solved the "terrorist" problem via outreach programs (NASA, etc.) before the high speed rail is in place. As for air travel, also by that time we will all be conditioned to expect and enjoy the security rendered by a fully unionized TSA. Unfortunately, BHO ws stuck almost 6 hours in snow and ice traffic just after the SOTUS, he could have used this type of a delay as another reason for high speed rail (that is impervious to all that nature can conjure up)!
Louis Jenkins| 1.31.11 @ 2:15PM
High speed trains? When pigs fly.
EAT| 1.31.11 @ 6:25PM
Palin really qualifies as a "creature" in my book, not quite human, not quite sentient or event sapient, but kind of interesting to watch from the perspective of being entertained by an animal's unusual behavior.
Negro X | 1.31.11 @ 10:46PM
EAT,
You qaulify as a troll who grovels at the anus of obama begging to taste his bitter fruit.
MisterB| 2.1.11 @ 12:39AM
O was making fun of us little people that get the pat downs.
cali| 2.1.11 @ 5:49AM
Your point well taken; spot on!
Maybe we all should wear burkas, and have husbands with big bushy beards to get the benefits of being 'special'.
Reality is wuite different isn't it; and those who still are on the bandwagon to eternal bliss to the land of rainbow, and unicorns- I say good luck!
FREE tea| 2.1.11 @ 11:28PM
---The unthinable NOW commonplace?
Sure looking that way.
--SO just keep on goin'.
RED China IS 'the future' and
it's OK 'cause Oprah would have warned us!
------------RRRRRRRight.
Rowdy Boots| 2.11.11 @ 1:30PM
The very fact that Obama indicated that terrorists would not target High Speed Rail shows the utter ignorance and amateurism of this fool of a president.
Even I, a lowly artist, although Conservative, can still envision a High Speed Rail line as a perfect target for a terrorist.
OBAMA IS A COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL
YOU WHO ELECTED HIM DESERVE HIM.
ROWDY BOOTS
weddingdress | 7.1.11 @ 1:04AM
Your point well taken; spot on!
Maybe we all should wear burkas, and have husbands with big bushy beards to get the benefits of being 'special'.
Reality is wuite different isn't it; and those who still are on the bandwagon to eternal bliss to the land of rainbow, and unicorns- I say good luck!
Organic Lotions | 7.9.11 @ 9:56PM
I think he is trying to keep up with Europe and China.
Reebok | 8.11.11 @ 4:23AM
is good
العاب بنات | 4.11.12 @ 4:17PM
thank you very good....