TSA and the El Al Myth

Beyond the Cusp ^ | November 20, 2010 | B. Saunders

[bsaunders]

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

[EternalVigilance]

An interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

[Political Junkie Too]

Geraldo Rivera actually made sense last night. What we need is a "reverse profiling."

Instead of profiling potential terrorists, we should profile people who clearly are NOT terrorists. Give these groups of people the "pilot pass," too.

Examples of groups profiled OUT of enhanced screening are:

• "Million Mile" Frequent Flyers
• Our military, traveling in uniform
• A "Disney World" pre-planned tour group
• A church or synagog group taking a trip with a pre-planned itinery
• "Classes of people for whom the prospect for terrorism is infinitesimally remote."

"You give these people a clearance where they don't have to go through the process at all. So now you have to deal with the population that's left -- occasional flyers, people who recently visited certain countries, people originating from foreign countries..."

So there is a profiling system that doesn't profile the terrorist, leaving us open to charges of racism; it profiles people who are NOT terrorists (a group not likely to complain about it), and leaves the rest for enhanced screening.

-PJ

[bergmeid]

We should be profiling until we no longer have a reason to profile. The way it looks right now that could be a very, very long time. So be it.

[rockinqsranch]

Thanks for the post.

[jd777]

I don’t belong to those groups - But I still want the equal protection of the constitution as them...

[stormer]

Gee, I guess there isn’t anyway to bypass THAT system. Sorry, but your idea is dumb.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

This is a great article, because everybody always says that we should use the Israeli method. It never occurred to me to think that it wouldn't work in the US because of our size and myriad airports.

It's the reason why rail works in Europe and not in America.

[bboop]

It’s interesting. When I read “It can’t be done here,” though — I never let “can’t” be the last word in a solution.

Profiling is the common sense approach to airline security. Must get rid of the TSA and let them go back to Walmart.

[xkaydet65]

30 years ago a friend of mine,a burly 20 something NY Jew, was chasing a girl he’d met in Paris through Europe and the Middle East. She’d gone from Athens to Tel Aviv and he followed. He was in a rush so when he packed he’d left one shoe behind. When the Israeli customs saw the single shoe and his passport stamps they detained him in private, forced him to strip and quizzed him 3 hours while they did a background. At no time were they anything but civil but they were dead serious. When they were satisfied, he was allowed on his way. Never caught up to the girl

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I agree rail doesn’t work so well in the US, but it does work well on the east coast..where NYC and Dc have well defined subways systems, mass transit.

I still think, even with the difficulties in the US with the Israeli system it is workable.We first to need to compare costs of what we are spending now, to what we would spend with an Israeli-like system. They also use their former military, which is a great idea and these veterans need work.

the article is good in that it points out some major differences and areas that aren’t just a ‘simple” switch, yet we still need to check out the feaseability of the Israeli system or a modification of sorts.

[DanMiller]

The Israeli system could not simply be dropped down from the sky and applied in the United States, for much the same reason that a recipe for chocolate cake can't be followed blindly in making a spice cake. However, parts of it can be used, with modification.

We should focus on the parts of the Israeli system which can effectively be used, and on how to compensate for the absence of those which can't.

[brytlea]

And still we dance around the real issue. Who has actually tried to, and/or succeeded in blowing up air planes?

[x]

Israel has one, and only one, airport.

Good article, but I think you mean "major international passenger airport" or something like that.

Google lists a variety of domestic airports, and an airport in the Negev which is also technically an international airport.

[MsLady]

Me too!!! This is criminal behavior by our government, plain and simple.

[grey_whiskers]

It's those Christians.

Cheers!

[mad_as_he$$]

First level, behavior profile.

Second level, once over by better trained profiler with some questions and a dog inspection.

Third level, a nose down by a pig.

Pass those get on the plane.

I also think that an air marshal on every flight is imperative.

[Mears]

After all of that he didn’t get the girl?

Life can be cruel.

[jnsun]

Someone please explain to us (the Suntrade Institute) why the intrusive, time consuming, humiliating, and expensive scanning and groping process is proposed when:

a) unless absolutely every airport in the US, for example Richmond VA, Jacksonville FL, Billings MN, Medford OR, has scanning and groping, how scanning and groping at selected limited airports makes any sense whatsoever. Terrorists can't board commercial airplanes in Billings?

b) the methods used heretofore in US airports have sufficed,

c) every NFL and College football game, or any mass assembly with no scanning and groping, has orders of magnitude more target rich potential than a commercial airplane,

d) Amtrak carries denser or larger passenger assemblies every day than the airlines, without scanning and groping,

e) scanning and groping millions of normal innocent taxpaying citizens who are subjected violates explicitly every possible interpretation of the intent of the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, (written with full awareness of the tragedy of mass fear),

f) how Janet Napolitano, (apparently) one of the stupidest most disrespectful bitch appointments of Barack Obama, can sit in a high level meeting proposing scanning and groping and not ask the very questions we have asked here,

g) Michael Chertoff, the Rabbi's son, is invested in airport scanners (not certain of this),

h) there are dozens of more respectful alternatives, like the airlines exercising the responsibility themselves, or passenger pre-clearance, or uniformed security on board the aircraft like every other mass assembly?

Please get back to the Suntrade Institute, because we are forwarding the same questions to our arrogant self serving Senators, and there might be reasonable answers.

Johnny Suntrade

[ml/nj]

Nice. But not particularly accurate. I just got back from Israel. My passport had no information other than my ID because I had just renewed it. Someone asked me one or two questions, and they were done with me, so they weren't asking me questions based in any way upon the stamps in my passport. This was my fourth visit to Israel. I have never flown on El Al. My departures from Israel have been on Continental twice, Royal Jordanian once and Czech Airlines once.

Dangerous people can have forged passports or can get new ones. I doubt the Israelis depend too much on what they see in one.

ML/NJ