Let's say you're a passenger on a 737. You paid the ever-increasing price to
jam your ever-widening butt into an ever-shrinking seat. Yep, you whipped
out the plastic to willingly endure zero leg room, artificial air, phony
friendliness, something loosely resembling food (sic),
edited-for-mass-consumption movies, and it doesn't matter whether you're
seated near the left wing or the right wing...the pilot calls the shots. If
you choose to speak up, you can guarantee there'll be a uniformed, armed
servant of the State waiting for you when the plane lands.
Can anyone say "microcosm"?
However, on the topic of plane rides, there is one type of rebellion that's
always welcome in the home of the brave... and the more violent it is, the
better. Rise up against official U.S. enemies and they'll make movies about
you, build statues, write speeches, and all that good stuff. The
powers-that-be in the land of the free may pretend to admire pacifism but
never forget: Genuine hero worship is reserved for those ready, willing, and
able to shed blood even if it may cost them their our lives.
Case in point: The random group of strangers that boarded United Flight 93
on September 11, 2001 were forced to weigh options they likely never
previously considered in any serious manner. Sure, at first, most of them
probably imagined that going along quietly was the best choice, the safest
path to resolution. Don't anger anyone, stay calm, and hope/pray for the
best. Eventually, when the situation passed the proverbial point of no
return, it became crystal clear that drastic measures were called for. The
criminals had to be stopped...by any means necessary.
Which brings us smoothly back to the concept of microcosm. "Going along" is
never the best choice. There is no "safe path to resolution." You can hope
and pray all you want but it's action that alters scenarios. We're spoon-fed
lines like "Give me liberty or give me death" and "I only regret that I have
but one life to give for my country," but we've become a passive population
of easily duped drones. Still, as the story of United 93 demonstrates, a
couch potato can quickly morph into a resourceful fighter...and it all
started with two tiny words: "Let's roll."
Mickey Z. can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.
Writings 
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