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YEEEEHHHAAAAHHHH!!!

630 WMAL printed my column as “Listener Column Of The Week” (see front page of site at 630wmal.com) Here it is -

Cartwheels, Balance Beams, and Allah:

Why Mentioning “Al Qaeda” In A Kiddie Gym Class Can Be Quite Awkward

By Silvie A. in Waldorf, Md.

Every week, I take my 7-year-old son to a kiddie gymnastics class, which he enjoys. The class is composed of kids his age, including a few who are also in his 1st grade class at school. In recent days, we the parents all received a note from the school teacher indicating an upcoming field trip to Baltimore’s National Aquarium. The note stated that a lottery will be held in order to pick only two (2) parents to be chaperones. Due to limited space on the bus, the class is only allowed to take two chaperones. There was no indication as to whether or not parents could follow the bus in their own cars, and purchase aquarium tickets separately, if they so desire.

Like any parent, our main concerns range from whether there’d be pedophiles lurking in the area, negligent chaperones and/or wayward and overly curious kids. Baltimore is quite far from Southern Maryland, and I for one would not have ‘peace of mind’ if my little one was in a big city like that. When another mom at the gym class told me that I “worry too much” and that the field trip and the kids would be “just fine… they’ll be all right!”, I reminded her that Baltimore is a crime-ridden hellhole, and then I stated: “What if Al Qaeda decides to attack Baltimore on that day?”

After I said that, the place went silent, and all heads turned towards me faster than letters turning on a Wheel of Fortune prize puzzle. Fearing that people would think that I belong in a psych ward with Britney Spears, I then followed-up with: “That’s the state of affairs nowadays in the world, people! I want to be there if something like that happens - it’s reality!”

Driving home later on, I came to the conclusion that citizens nowadays are completely complacent about the threat of terrorism in the U.S. today. The events of 9/11 are all but a distant memory in most Americans’ minds, and we’ve continued to live our lives as if nothing ever happened. Obviously, my “Al Qaeda” comment would never be uttered in an airport terminal or aircraft (I know better than that) — but, since when is it offensive to mention the threat of terrorism at a kiddie gym class and get ‘stared down’ by fellow parents? It is beyond ignorant to think that were are safe in any city in this country, big or small. While it is true that we cannot live in fear every single day of our lives, we cannot live in complete oblivion and ignorance, either!

This morning, while you were brushing your teeth and watching Oprah, a young troglodyte in the Middle East was busy putting the final touches on his IED in order to use against our troops. Similarly, others like him are working fast & furious in planning attacks against us here again, in good ‘ol U.S.A. While we’ve been lucky that no attacks have occurred in our country since 9/11 (Thank You, President Bush!), we as parents need to be as concerned now as we were on Sept. 12, 2001.

Maybe I just need to go to yoga class to calm me down.

(Care to comment? Send your thoughts to: Insider@630wmal.com)