Essay 321

The New Face of Terror and Other Scary Thoughts in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The 4-year-old boy pictured above may be a terrorist. At least that’s how he was treated at New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Houston’s Bush Intercontinental. The child and his mother were flying to spend Christmas with grandparents in the Bronx. Yet they were detained when the child’s name came up on the government’s “no-fly” terror watch list. The listed name required presenting identification, which the mother did not have — after all, how many 4-year-olds are carrying ID? Security at both airports was adamant, despite the obvious fact that the kid was not the same age as the individual whose similar name appeared on the list. An airline spokesperson claimed “these cases happen all the time.” Although probably not in scenarios involving real terrorists.

• Vandals struck at a new monastery in McHenry County, Illinois. Statues of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary were spray-painted with “KKK,” “666,” “Go away,” “Leave” and more. A County Board member hoped the vandals were “kids” versus adults trying to intimidate the monastery members. “This is not the way we want our county to be known,” the official said. Yeah, let’s blame it on 4-year-old terrorists.

• Former District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry was robbed by youths. The youths had originally helped Barry carry groceries to his apartment. But they later returned carrying a gun and ultimately carried off his wallet. No word if the robbers were 4-year-olds.

• Folks in Quebec are enjoying a unique snack craze — communion wafers. The thin bread disks traditionally consumed by churchgoers in religious ceremonies have become popular treats for everyone. “My son can eat a whole bag while he’s watching TV,” one Canadian said. “He’s had more of them outside of church than he ever did inside one.” They probably go great with bottled holy water.

• The Washington Post published a story detailing that Hispanics are poorly represented in the federal workplace. Accounting for only 7% of employees in federal government, Hispanics remain the only underrepresented minority group. However, many in federal government probably think the segment is overrepresented in illegal work environments.