Lyrics Airport Security - George Carlin

Airport Security

First thing on my list tonight… airport security.
Tired of this shit.
There’s too much of it;
there’s too much security at the airport.
I’m tired of some guy with a double digit IQ and a triple digit income rooting around inside of my bag for no reason and never finding anything!
Haven’t found anything yet!
Haven’t found one bomb in one bag!
And don’t tell me “well, the terrorists know their bags are gonna be searched so now they’re leaving their bombs at home.”
There are no bombs.
The whole thing is fucking pointless!
And it’s completely without logic!
There’s no logic at all!
They’ll take away a gun, but let you keep a knife!
Well what the fuck is that?
In fact, there’s a whole list of lethal objects they will allow you to take on board.
Theoretically, you could take… a knife, an ice pick, a hatchet, a straight razor, a pair of scissors, a chainsaw, 6 knitting needles, and a broken whiskey bottle, and the only thing they're gonna say to you is
“that bag has to fit all the way under the seat in front of you.”
And if you didn’t take the weapon on board, relax;
after you’ve been flying for about an hour, they’re gonna bring you a knife and fork.
They actually give you a fucking knife!
It’s only a table knife but you could kill a pilot with a table knife.
It might take you a couple of minutes you know… especially if he’s hefty huh?
Yeah but you could get the job done, if you really wanted to kill the prick.
Shit, there’s a lot of things you could use to kill a guy with;
you could probably beat a guy to death with the Sunday New York Times couldn’t you?
Or suppose you just have really big hands.
Couldn’t you strangle a flight attendant?
Shit, you could probably strangle two of them;
one with each hand… you know, if you are lucky enough to catch them in that little kitchen area… before they give out the fucking peanuts you know?
But you could get the job done… if you really cared enough.
So why is it they allow a man with big powerful hands get onboard an airplane?
I’ll tell you why.
They know he’s not a security risk because he’s already answered the three big questions.
Question number 1: “Did you pack your bags yourself?”
… … No. Carrot Top packed my bags.
He and Martha Stewart and Florence Henderson came over to the house last night, fixed me a lovely Lobster Newburg, gave me a full body massage with sacred oils from India, performed a four-way around the world, and then they packed my bags.
Next question!
“Have your bags been in your possession the whole time?”
No. Usually, the night before I travel, just as the moon is rising, I place my suitcases out on the street corner and leave them there unattended for several hours… just for good luck.
Next question!
“Has any unknown person asked you to take anything on board?”
Hmm… well what exactly is an “unknown person”?
Surely, everyone is known to someone.
In fact, just this morning, Karim and Yusef Ali Bangaba seemed to know each other quite well.
They kept joking about which one of my suitcases was the heaviest.
And that’s another thing they don’t like at the airport… jokes.
You know?
Yeah, you can’t joke about a bomb.
But why is it just jokes?
What about a riddle?
How about a limerick?
How about a bomb anecdote?
You know… no punch line, just a really cute story.
Or suppose you intended to remark, not as a joke, but as an ironic musing, are they prepared to make that distinction?
Why I think not.
And besides, who’s to say what’s funny?
Airport security is a stupid idea, it’s a waste of money, and it’s only there for one reason, to make white people feel safe.
That’s all.
The illusion, the feeling and illusion of safety cause the authorities know they can’t make an airplane completely safe;
too many people have access.
You notice the drug smugglers don’t seem to have a lot of trouble getting their little packages on board, do they?
No and God bless them too!
Oh and by the way, an airplane flight shouldn’t be completely safe.
You need a little danger in your life.
Take a fucking chance once in a while will you?
What are you gonna do?
Play with your prick for another 30 years?
What, are you gonna read People’s Magazine and eat at Wendy’s till the end of time?
Take a fucking chance!
Besides, even if they made all of the airplanes completely safe, the terrorists would simply start bombing other places that are crowded;
porn shops, crack houses, titty bars, and gangbangs.
You know?
Entertainment venues.
The odds of you being killed by a terrorist are practically zero!
So I say relax and enjoy the show.
You have to be a realist;
you have to be realistic about terrorism.
Certain groups of people… certain groups – Muslim fundamentalists, Christian fundamentalists, Jewish fundamentalists, and just plain guys from Montana – are gonna continue to make life in this country very interesting for a long, long time.
That’s the reality;
angry men in combat fatigues talking to God on a two-way radio and muttering incoherent slogans about freedom are eventually going to provide us with a great deal of entertainment, especially after your stupid fucking economy collapses all around you and the terrorists come out of the
woodwork and you'll have anthrax in your water supply, and saran gas in your air conditioner, there'll be chemical and biological suitcase bombs in every city and I say “enjoy it, relax, enjoy the show, take a fucking chance,
put a little fun in your life.”
To me, terrorism is exciting, it’s exciting.
I think the very idea that you could set off a bomb in a marketplace and kill several hundred people is exciting and stimulating and I see it as a form of entertainment!
Entertainment… that’s all it is.
Yeah… but I also know that most Americans are soft and frightened and unimaginative and they don’t realize there’s such a thing as dangerous fun.
And they certainly don’t recognize a good show when they see one!
I have always been willing to put myself at great personal risk for the sake of entertainment and I’ve always been willing to put you at great personal risk for the same reason.
As far as I'm concerned, all of this airport security, all the searches, the screenings, the cameras, the questions, it's just one more way of reducing your liberty, and reminding you that they can fuck with you anytime they want…
as long as you put up with it… as long as you put up with it;
which means of course anytime they want, cause that’s what Americans do now, they’re always willing to trade away a little of their freedom in exchange for the feeling, the illusion of security.