A time when the "MacGyver Knife" Saved the Day...

There was a time when "911" was a positive number. There was a time when fear didn't rule the world, and the White House. There was a time when a "Swiss Army Knife" was also a wonderful thing... In my opinion, it still is, regardless of the hype and spin, and there are still decent and responsible people in the world. In America, we can still buy the Macgyver Complete Series DVD Box Set, and not fear for our minds, and we can still buy Swiss Army Knives legally at any store that sells them, but I ask you...how long will it be before the spin overtakes us. Macgyver wasn't about making bombs and dangerous weapons, nor was it politcally anti-government or conspiratorial, yet it is increasingly becoming associated with such. In this video, from the time before our own new 'Nine-Eleven,' a Swiss Army Knife on a plane was not a threat, it could save a life:

FROM RELEVANTHISTORY:

The future of the Swiss Army Knife...

...appears to be in doubt.

The Swiss army, which is to order a fresh batch of 65,000 of the pocket knives with new specifications, has caused nationwide consternation by declaring that under World Trade Organisation rules, the tendering process must be opened to companies worldwide because of the high value of the contract.


China, which has been producing pirate copies of the knife for years, is thought to have the best chance of winning the contract, which is estimated at 1.7m Swiss francs (£695,000), followed by Taiwan and Bulgaria.

The issue has become one of the hottest political topics of the summer, with far-right politicians saying that national pride is at stake....

It is credited by everyone from balloonists and astronauts to surgeons and pilots with saving lives and is the official pocket knife for 16 armies around the world, including the US military.

It has also prompted many jokes, perceived as it is as the weapon of choice for the military of neutral Switzerland. The US comedian Robin Williams once quipped: "How can you trust an army that has a wine opener on its knife?"

I love my Swiss Army Knife, though thanks to regular travel and a measure of forgetfulness, I'm one of their better customers-- I've had to throw away at least two of them in the last two years, right before getting into airport security lines.

http://askpang.typepad.com/relevant_history/2007/08/the-future-of-t.html