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Brown in America

Comparing turbans to diapers earns the wrath of American Sikhs

By: Karthik :+: Under: Brown in America, Entertainment, Media Watch, Radio
On: ⋅ September 21, 2007 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment
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As most of you should be aware by this point, the TSA changed its security policy yet again. The most affected seem to be the Sikhs, Amardeep over at SM had a post about this from a month ago. He writes

I’m also worried because I have a feeling the new policies may be deployed selectively and in a non-standardized way at different airports, and according to the whim of individual TSA agents, who may or may not understand what the Sikh turban represents. Some Sikhs will certainly be asked to remove turbans even if there’s no positive indication of anything concealed. (I’ve found that agents at smaller airports, like Manchester NH or Durham NC, are much more strict about enforcing policy than are the agents at bigger airports. At Philly, where the security lines are quite long and the agents are harried, they don’t look twice if you wear a turban — they know the deal. And they usually won’t bother to stop you even if you have fluids — no baby formula or bottled water hassles…)

I entirely agree. Even rules like running shoes through the metal detector was not a part of the drill in the major airports until much later. I know because I fly so often. It will come as no surprise to me if the rules are skewed at different airports, because let’s face it, that’s how things always work.

Discussing the issue an RJ referred to the turban as a “diaper”, which is not boding well with our turbanators.

RJ Al Rantel was discussing US airport security in his talk show KABC 790AM on September 10 where he allegedly said that if his own 80-year-old mother had to take off her shoes during a security screening, “… then why shouldn’t a Sikh be required to take off the hat that looks like a diaper they wear on their heads?”

The initial thought on my mind was that this was a radio station in the middle of nowhere. And boy was I wrong. KABC 790AM is in Los Angles.

The bio of Al Rantel does not have too many surprises.

He’ll push your buttons, but you won’t change the dial. Al Rantel uncovers the events and newsmakers who don’t always make headlines, but whose stories impact our community in a controversial, meaningful and dramatic way. Al’s show is unpredictable in content, diverse in subject matter and covers topics from politics to pop culture trends and emerging lifestyle issues that create sizzling debates and that vie for our attention.

Conservative by nature, yet surprisingly liberal in his thinking, Al believes in taking personal responsibility for one’s actions and challenges his listeners to reason with logic, evidence and facts. His tongue-in-cheek, tell-it-like-it-is style and engaging personality have taken him from behind the microphones to in front of the cameras on: The O’Reilly Factor; Equal Time; The Fox Report; Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and CNN’s Talk Back Live.

So Al believes in taking personal responsibility and like to reason with logic and evidence. Really? It does not look like from his comment.

And whats more surprising is that the RJ who claims to create sizzling debates is not up for one.

Singh has written a strongly worded letter to Rantel, challenging him to an on-air debate. Rantel’s team has not yet responded.

Ignorance is one thing, but to claim you like to use logic in reasoning and then make a fool of yourself on live radio is another.

Al , your mom’s shoes is not the same as someone’s religious head gear. And if you do not know, research before you speak.

I think this is pure ignorance, what do you guys think?

[update]

Anna over at SM updates us with the contact information for the radio station.

Our mailing address is: 3321 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016.

To advertise on TalkRadio 790 KABC:

Please Contact: Matt Mallon (310) 840-4955

If you have feedback for any of the departments at 790 KABC, please let us know!

And since we would like one place to talk about this, go on over to SM and share your thoughts.

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