Power to the People
Yesterday I went to the airport for a drive and to look at things on that side of town – there’s a beautiful British war cemetary, as well as the Millennium Mall and other interesting things.
I got to the airport and went up the ramp to go around the passenger terminal. But to my horror, an army convoy of jeeps filled with Rangers had blocked the road off in front of the terminal, stranding the ordinary people on the ramp. There was nothing any of us could do; we could neither pass by nor reverse down the ramp, and nobody knew who to talk to about the problem. After waiting for twenty minutes, desperate passengers were beginning to get out of their cars and lug their bags to the terminal in 40 C heat.
This so enraged me that I suggested to the person with me that he start honking in protest. After a moment’s hesitation, he did so (he’d been swearing and cursing the blockage energetically up to that moment).
Everyone turned their heads around and stared at us. Me and my companion gestured that everyone should start to honk their horns. They stared at us a moment more, then began to follow suit. Suddenly, thirty people in cars were all honking their horns in unison. The kids in the car next to me looked at me excitedly and began to press on their dad’s car horn. I gave the thumbs-up sign to everyone, and then began to blast loud rock music from the car stereo, for a real taste of protest, rock and roll style.
Of course, our efforts fell on deaf ears; only when some fat army officer’s wife had disembarked from her plane and stuffed her way into the back seat of a waiting car did the convoy move off, with much fanfare and the ferocious Rangers ready to protect the fat old *censored* with their precious lives, leaving the rest of us ordinary citizens gasping in the heat and the dust. But we at least had the satisfaction that we could voice our displeasure, if only for a few moments, and tell the army-wallahs exactly what we thought of their hogging of the public domain as if it was their God-given right.
PS I posted this on my blog but I thought it could do with being posted here. And I apologize for my absence; PC problems.
Good god, it must’ve been horrendous. The worst thing is, despite all the editorials and news reports in various newspapers, it seems as if the traffic problems that arise from convoys are increasing, rather than decrease.
Admittedly, it was extremely wrong for the army convoy to inconvenience the other passengers while waiting for the milatary spouse. I would be ticked off as well.
But, to count yourself amongst the “ordinary citizens” what with your extremely privileged background…well, that just simply takes a whole lot of chutzpah.
Jalil – interesting point. But believe me, with army it’s stricly a case of those who are and those who aren’t. I am definitely not part of the privileged armed forces… At any rate, it wasn’t me that suffered quite as much as the people who were running to catch flights, and had I been one of them, I would have suffered as much, privileged or not.
BRAVO BRAVO !!! unfortunately one cant do much except protest in the limited way you can, Who will listen NO-ONE. But I am sure you must have enjoyed the bloodless revolution whihc you started on the airport ramp. You have the genes of a great leader one day – Keep it up ;)
agree with maestro… small things like these make a big difference when combined together.