On a Wing and Prayer

The trains all run on time here
Got such a straight and narrow mind here

The things he says are always right
The things he sees are black and white

--Paper Tiger, by All

__________

Atlanta resident Andrew Speaker--he of the deadly, drug-resistant Tuberculosis--is yet another case of why you should be very concerned about the paper tiger known as Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker was a compliant, known carrier of the deadly virus, but our Centers for Disease Control dithered for days on deciding whether to issue Mr. Speaker a ''no-fly'' order. Health officials knew he intended to leave for Greece, but by the time they decided to serve him with the order, he was already gone. Now the CDC is backtracking, trying to find passengers who sat near him on two trans-Atlantic flights last month.

It seems Homeland Security is flying by the seat of their pants versus an established protocol. As Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, ''Aren't these the same bureaucrats who are charged with handling something much more serious, such as an outbreak of bird flu? (Inept Public Health Agencies Don't Inspire Trust.)''

''It is a tale of public health agencies that remain indecisive and inept, despite years of planning for crises.''

The CDC had a committed jet which could have flown Mr. Speaker from Italy to the hospital in Denver which could treat his case. Instead, officials dithered again on whether to provide the transport. Mr. Speaker, fearing permanent quarantine in Italy, took it upon himself to board a jet to Montreal, where he then rented a car and drove back to the States, finally turning himself in in New York. There were passport warnings, yet he also eluded international border checks.

So, while our czars map out future bio-pandemics as potential excuses for applying martial law, allowing them to further consolidate their power over the citizenry, they again fail to address the actual threats which present themselves, failing to actually keep us safe.

Yes, Andrew Speaker was only one infected air traveler, but the incident clearly indicates flaws in contingency planning for such hazardous situations. Not a jet could be found to neutralize this bio-hazard impersonating an Atlanta lawyer.

Yet the U.S. can find commercial jets at the drop of a burka to provide extraordinary rendition to secret prisons in secret locations.

How do you spell Homeland Security?