Has our nation’s obsession with security gone too far? According to Pre-Pharmacy student, Sima Bayamna, it has. Over the winter break, Sima traveled to France and Belgium to visit family and friends. However, it was her return trip that left her feeling more scared, than secure.
Most people are aware of the additional safety measures put in place post September 11, but many of us do not understand what is taking place beyond our borders.
For Sima, the nightmare began when she arrived from Belgium to the airport in Paris, where she was to catch a flight to Cincinnati. Though her plane arrived on time, the screening her luggage underwent caused her to miss the final leg of her trip (Cincinnati). Fortunately, she has family in Paris and was able to stay with them for the night.
However, not all travelers have that luxury. Sima explained that when US travelers miss their flight, by fault of the airline, they are given board in local airport hotels. But if you are not a citizen, you are treated quite differently. In fact, due to several cancellations the prior day many people, were forced to camp out in the airport, while they waited to catch another US bound flight. The airlines also did not offer the stranded passengers any food or beverages.
After the one-day delay, Sima was able to catch a plane to Cincinnati, and was looking forward to a trouble free return to the United States. For most of the nine-hour flight everything was fine, but shortly before landing the pilot made a startling announcement. He alerted the weary travelers that once the plane docked at the airport in Covington, all passengers needed to remain seated with passports in hand, and that soldiers would be boarding the plane to check them.
At that point the whole mood onboard the aircraft changed. According to Sima, everyone stopped talking,and you could feel how nervous the people were. She started to wonder if this additional measure was being taken because there was a terrorist on board, and that made her more scared.
Once the plane landed two soldiers rushed on board, and began checking the passports. Surely this would be the last of the screenings, Sima thought. But it was not. After having their passports checked, passengers were deplaned and escorted to another area of the airport. There they were fingerprinted, photographed, and interrogated (police style). They kept asking the same questions over and over, as if they didn’t hear the first time.
Sima’s experience raises an important question: Have the programs that our government put in place to make us feel safe succeeded in that effort, or have they only served to terrify people? This much is certain, Sima’s experience was anything but comforting. In her words “Security was too tough [ . . . ] it pissed me off.” And despite having friends and family in France, she “doesn’t want to go back, if security is this tough.
Friday, July 4, 2025