Avoiding problems with authorities would seem to be logical behavior, but lately it seems American citizens have only their own interests at heart. Whether they are hurricane survivors or simply dealing with everyday airport security officials, people don't seem to want to listen to reason.
Anyone watching the news coverage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita could see that one of the most difficult problems officials had to deal with was getting stubborn people to evacuate.
An article for the St. Petersburg Times said, "Most Florida hurricane shelters don't accept pets, and as a result, some people just won't get out of harm's way."
This, of course, is only one reason that people wouldn't evacuate. Some people were understandably hesitant to leave their homes because they had lived there all their lives - everything they knew was in their homes. But how could they ignore orders to evacuate and give up their lives, allowing their families and friends to find out they died saving their dogs or other possessions?
Obviously, there were other situations that arose, making it more difficult for people to evacuate. Traffic jams and unattainable transportation made it impossible for some to get out of town.
But some were given the opportunity to leave when officials came to get them, and they naively refused to go.
Others found themselves at the hands of nursing home owners, as in the case of elderly patients at Saint Rita's Nursing Home in Chalmette, La., where nursing home owners where charged with negligent homicide for 34 deaths that resulted after they turned down offers of rescue, authorities said.
It's hard to imagine that people would actually refuse to go with authorities when they are trying to get them to safety.
Others even make trouble for law authorities when they're traveling. People often complain about the wait at airport security checkpoints, but what holds up the lines are people who don't follow instructions or argue when they are asked to step aside for further searches.
When passengers are getting ready to fly 30,000 feet in the air, they are putting their lives in the hands of those security officers who are making sure nothing dangerous gets through the checkpoints. Why wouldn't they want security personnel to check everything that looks suspicious?
I take my shoes off (even if I'm wearing flip-flops), my belt, my ring and my watch, and I put all the things in my pockets in the buckets just to make sure that nothing goes off. I never get stopped, and my time isn't wasted arguing with the officials or getting pulled aside.
The Transportation Security Administration, under the Department of Homeland Security, has made strict rules on what is acceptable on a commercial flight and what is not - the items are clearly listed on department's Web site and on airport signs near checkpoints. It's not difficult to follow the rules.
Respect for authority has waned lately, but people should start respecting the hard and serious work these officials do to save and protect our lives.
They're the ones who will come back to drag you, crippled and afraid, out of your house after a hurricane hits. They're the ones who will make it harder for psychos to hijack airplanes you're flying on.
Let them do their jobs.
Write to Melissa at
mmwhiten@bsu.edu
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