Dr. Temple Grandin is an
animal scientist who is truly a master in corral
design. She is a gifted lecturer and author, who
also has autism and in her book, Thinking in
Pictures, she reveals how she uses her handicap to
her advantage; a perfect example of what God expects
when life gives you lemons.
Ten years ago I visited one of her newly designed
cattle handling facilities at the Decatur County
Feed Yard in Oberlin, Kansas. Decatur was hosting a
demonstration and dozens of other ranchers and
farmers crowded with me in the chute house. (Chute
house is a misnomer as the facility was nicer than
my living room.) There were dual crowding tubs, and
a double “S” curve alleyway connected to three data
collection stations. The first station captured a
digital image of the critter’s hip height, the
second the animal’s weight and the third gently
squeezed the calf for back fat measurement, ear
tagging, and implantation.
It was station #1 which tweaked my interest. After
calmly walking side-by-side through 50 feet of the
double “S”, each steer was expected to step to
station #1. To allow photography, the outside
alleyway wall was no higher than the midsection of a
600 pound calf. The only thing restraining the steer
from the elbows upward was air…that’s right;
absolutely nothing. “That’s never going to work,” I
thought to myself. “The first calf will jump right
over the side of station #1.”
The gates were opened and calves filled each
crowding tub. Like clockwork, they marched
side-by-side down the double “S” without the
assistance of hollering, hot-shots or heelers. The
first calf into station #1 paused for a split second
as the door in front of him momentarily closed and
his hip-height profile was snapped. The door quickly
and quietly opened and he advanced to station #2.
The operation was flawless.
The secret behind station #1 is an illusion; the
chute house walls are painted the exact color as the
alleyway. The steer never realizes the alleyway wall
doesn’t actually exist. In blissful ignorance, each
calf dutifully follows the steer in front of him. In
terms of animal behavior, Dr. Grandin is a master of
deception.
A similar deception is occurring today in airports
across America. Under the guise of enhancing safety,
Homeland Security began using full-body,
radiographic scanners to capture near naked photos
of airline passengers. Although your revealing image
is digitally transmitted to another room where it is
evaluated by someone who never actually sees your
face, the public screamed “No.” To counter
noncompliance, Homeland Security ordered TSA agents
to begin invasive pat downs of passengers refusing
the scanner. Reports of agents fondling
six-year-olds, and palpating the prosthesis of
breast cancer survivors soon exploded across the
airwaves. If blue-glove pat downs and radiographic
scanning are too frightening you can always chose
option three: Exit the screening line and pay an
$11,000 fine. (America has certainly changed since
Western Airlines advertized their champagne flights
as “The only way to fly.”)
Facing the options, passengers began choosing the
quick scanners over the invasive pat downs. Homeland
Security Secretary Napolitano soon announced she is
now considering backscatter imaging at federal
buildings and all transportation stations. You see,
it’s not about security; it’s never been about
security. It’s about conditioning. With imagers
around every corner, Americans will soon dutifully
march through them like steers to slaughter; never
noticing the chute house wall is painted the same
color as the alleyway and no wall actually exists.
Security is just an illusion.
Use your imagination and look ahead to air travel in
2014; this isn’t much of a stretch. In less time
than it takes to put on your shoes, your “anonymous”
digital image, complete with all your personal
identification and medical records, are beamed
instantly to the new Perfect Society Authority (PSA).
Red lights flash because you had been warned.
Obamacare physicians at the Internal Revenue Service
evaluated your 2013, 1040EZ Form and demanded you
shrink your Body Mass Index below 26 or lose
government benefits like travel privileges on the
previously bankrupted but now nationalized, airline
system. On order from the PSA, security agents
escort you from the terminal, void your boarding
pass and suggest you call Jenny Craig. If you want
to visit the grandkids this Christmas, you’ll have
to walk. End of story.
Is there a level of freedom you are unwilling to
trade for the illusion of security? We passed George
Orwell’s 1984 many, many years ago. Think about it.
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