Posted on 03/29/2009 1:49:17 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The blame for the weekend violence at Sydney Airport lies entirely with the men who perpetrated it.
However, responsibility for not suppressing the violence lies with the relevant authorities.
Outlaw bikers are crazy. Jihadi crazy, but some are crazy in their own very special way.
Look at the bottom line of what just happened in Sydney. A pack of bikers, allegedly Commanchero, deliberately stormed into an airport terminal patrolled by heavily armed agents of the state, a public space covered by dozens of security cameras, and populated by hundreds of witnesses, and there they beat a man to death with a metal bollard.
There is no question that they are crazy and that the resources of the state must be directed towards crushing them.
But there is a very serious question hanging over the security arrangements for the airport, and by extension for all of our major domestic airports, which raises the question of whether the state is up for it.
That eruption of insensate violence took place less than a hundred metres away from security personnel.
I can imagine that the important work of confiscating water bottles and nail clippers must go on, but surely not while somebody is being beaten to death in front of you.
Even if those particular personnel did not feel themselves trained or equipped to deal with a bunch of brawling Hells Angels and Commanchero, where was the AFP, the officers of which are more than capable of handling such an incident?
Specifically where was the AFP's Counter Terrorism First Response unit for Sydney Airport?
Surely not 10 miles away in the CBD?
Surely not all on the dunny at the time?
There is an element of pretence in airport security. A lot of the time wastage and massive inconvenience imposed on travelers that does nothing to secure them from the depredations of committed terror networks. It's mostly for show and arse covering.
The real work of securing airports and aircraft is done by security and intelligence forces well before the nutjobs turn up at check in.
But that does not excuse the relevant authorities, which in this case are mostly federal. It does not explain why this happened, given the enormous volume of resources poured into securing airports.
The AFP Commissioner insisted that his officers were on the scene within five minutes, but established protocols require them to be able to respond within 45 seconds.
If a bunch of skanky bikers can do so much damage within five minutes, what would a Mumbai style attack achieve in the same time frame?
People around the world are going to find out, the hard way.
Surely months of grief and volumes of new laws and regs.
When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.
...Doubtless having donuts.
(It's those Ron Paul, "don't tread on me" terrorists again, right?)
Cheers!
was it the lord Humongous or some other group of mutant zombie bikers?
In the event of a mumbai style incident, sounds like the commancheros would be able to respond faster than the counter-terrorists.
New laws and regulations won’t do a thing.
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