As a California native, one of the first nuggets of information I learned in school -- and remember because it was repeated every year -- was our state motto:
The motto and its meaning were always presented as one phrase:
"Eureka! I have found it!"
I heard myself yelling "Eureka" when I opened my newspapers this morning.
USA Today had the headline:
"Most ok with TSA full-body scanners."
A separate insert in the newspaper was advertising:
"Early Warning...A Body Scan Can Save Your Life!"
I wondered if any of the TSA officials get the same newspapers I do. Then, they could yell, "Eureka, " too.
My newspapers had inadvertently put this all together. All officials need to do is add the technology that the ad flyer promises can show "pictures of your heart, arteries and organs in real-time via color ultrasound" to the current security scanners.
That sounds a lot more aesthetically-pleasing than the x-ray shots I've seen. Plus, doesn't it take care of some of the concerns in the health care debate about early detection to save taxpayer money in the long term?
I had never equated airline security with possibly heading off medical problems, but here it was.
I pity the poor people who have canceled their newspaper subscriptions. It's nice to have a Eureka moment.