Anyone made a ferry trip to Seattle lately? It’s getting to be quite the frightening experience, what with a machine gun-toting boat watching the stern and all.

The safety measures are certainly a sign of the times we live in and the times are getting more and more interesting, more and more scary.

With George W’s war machine pushing forward, we’re wondering where our local Navy men and women should be sent?

North Korea?

Iraq?

Perhaps after Osama bin Laden again?

It’s a political crap shoot.

But for the first time in a long time, civilians, American civilians, are finding themselves in the crosshairs. If 9-11 taught us anything it should be that we are no longer out of harm’s reach when global controversy and terrorism is at hand.

With the new 100-yard no-boat zone around Washington State Ferries now, people here in North Kitsap should be wondering what’s next.

If the President has his way — war.

But with who?

Iraq most likely. But Osama’s not going anywhere and neither’s North Korea.

The U.S. is pretty much sitting on a lit powder keg with nowhere to jump.

Scary times indeed.

For those of you who think that such escorts across the Sound are a short-term thing or even a security fad, think again.

A few years from now it’ll pretty much be the norm. The U.S. is slowly but surely moving into a police state, where everyday American citizens will — at one time or another — be subject to security checks.

Don’t think they’ll ever pull that off on the cross-Sound commute, at national treasures and busy bridges?

Been to the airport lately?

It’s already happening.

Freedoms we have taken for granted for so many years are coming to an end. And each time a terrorist strikes, in the United States, or abroad, residents of this county and country should expect to see a few more machine guns in their midst.

The real problem right now isn’t the impending war with Iraq, Osama or whoever. That’s pretty much down the pipeline no matter what. War is always just around the corner. Just a few years down the road, no matter which fork you take.

It’s been around since ancient times and isn’t going anywhere soon. Eventually, we’ll come to it.

Despite the inevitables, our freedoms, basic and otherwise, still have a chance. They still have the opportunity to continue — although lessened, no doubt, by the events of 9-11.

Security checks are in the wind and we can’t turn our backs to them. Even so, they are for our own safety, not for our own convenience. Safety never is. Whether it’s putting on a seatbelt or a bike helmet, safety takes time to ensure even to the smallest degree.

We must learn to be patient as this process continues but at the same time we should keep a close watch on our freedoms. A machine-gun toting man doesn’t always equate to safety after all — even if he does have an American flag on his shoulder.