Posted on 01/29/2008 9:23:24 AM PST by Santa Fe_Conservative
TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- Jason -- that's the name CNN was asked to call him -- slides a simulated explosive into an elastic back support. The mock bomb is as slim as a wallet; its fuse, the size of a cigarette. He wraps the support around his torso, and the bomb fits comfortably into the small of his back.
It's hard to tell he's concealing anything; harder still when he dons a black T-shirt and a maroon golf shirt.
Then, with CNN's cameras in tow, Jason heads to Tampa International Airport, where he'll try to sneak the fake explosive past security screeners.
Jason, a covert tester for the Transportation Security Administration, has been probing airport weaknesses for five years, beginning with big mock bombs before switching to ever smaller devices as the TSA adapts to evolving terrorist threats.
As jobs go, this one comes with its own unique set of satisfactions and tribulations. Jason wants to succeed at his task -- and he wants to fail. Success is a measure of his stealth, hewn by 40 years in law enforcement. But failure is satisfying too, because it means airport screeners are growing more adept at detecting threats.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I know, Cnn,, let’s tell thousands of idiots, miscreants and ne’er-do-wells how to do it..
They deserve a Peabody for this one..
No comment on TSA, they speak for themselves.
I depise CNN...but in this case they hardly showed TSA security flaws that any terrorist didn’t know about already....
There are fiberglass and ceramic knives and battle axes that easily will slip by TSA, most explosives and fuses will also slip by and blasting caps can be concealed.
A dedicated terrorist team with a modicum of intelligence can bring all sorts of crap onto a plane.
We only have the illusion of security....
TSA and CNN...Idiots, All.
The issue is...the terrorists don’t have to run a test or a trial run now. We gladly tell them where the holes are, and how big they are.
That IS a problem.
TSA is the last line of defense. Terrorist plans are thwarted long before the terrorist leaves for the airport. And the fact that there haven’t been any major incidents in the U.S. since 9/11 is evidence that someone, somewhere is doing their job.
But CNN has no problem telling terrorists exactly how to sneak a bomb on board!
Jason must not be a 75 year old grandmother.
There isn't anything that CNN can report about that they haven't thought of already.
The next terrorist attack will have nothing to do with air travel. But why haven't we had one yet? That is telling. Certainly they've had many opportunities to cause carnage and mayhem on US soil. Simply walking into a shopping mall wearing suicide vests on the day after Thanksgiving and they could've killed dozens. Do this all over the country at the same time and it would have been sheer pandemonium, killing hundreds or thousands.
Certainly, they've thought of this. They blow up public shopping areas in Israel all the time.
But they always confiscate my can of shaving cream! I feel so much safer when they do. /s
Bingo!
The TSA: security placebo.
It's all about making Americans feel better.
Oh come on people give them a break. Don’t you know that they are much to busy strip searching old ladies in wheelchairs to be sidetracked by something as unimportant as a bomb?
A little authority in the hands of morons is an accident waiting to happen.
A KNOWN technique and the guy still gets through. Meanwhile, our felt badged wonders are barking out orders like drill sergeants and escalating every conversation about their behavior to the "national security level."
Hogwash...these holes are already known....
TSA has NOTHING in place to detect what I outlined....
Everyone including the terrorists know this....
Here’s one for you...ship the bomb FEDEX with an altimeter switch.....
Cargo planes would be falling out of the sky....
There’s no end to the sabotage techniques that could be applied and the terrorists have unlimited options......
They already know the soft targets, intelligence gathering and disruption are our best tool against them....
We all laugh at the TSA for the random searches but this technique introduces a level of unpredictability for the terrorists. Failing to complete a mission and being caught is the worst scenario for a terrorist, it ruins all the propaganda value of the strike and renders them impotent.
Look for the terrorists to hit a softer target than airplanes. Schools, churches, athletic events...etc.....
Perhaps they fear Bush, knowing from experience that he will respond.
May be that they are waiting to see who the next President is. They are a patient group, to be sure.
A middle eastern woman came through the line, and spoke with him as she passed through his station.
Later on, he noticed her down the line, with another TSA agent, acting as if she did not speak English and didn’t understand.
My nephew approached her and pulled her out of line. She and her luggage got a very thorough screening. She missed her flight.
I don’t think it is hogwash, and I wouldn’t use that term to discuss this issue. I don’t know you, so I am not going to belittle your opinion. But I do know that any would be terrorists got information for free here. You say it is widely known...how? It may be widely known within the industry, and may even be widely known (and probably is) within the TSA screeners who can be expected to be loose with information. But that does not mean you take it for granted that they know the information and publish it with specifications and procedures.
Where is your proof that they know this? Where would they get that information from?
We give them credit for being able to do some pretty nasty things, but where would they get that information without attracting attention? Would they go to the manufacturer of the equipment? Would they have access to test data? It may be your opinion that “they” know, but don’t pass it off as a fact unless you have data to back it up. It is your opinion and nothing more. I am fine with that as your opinion, but don’t use it to butress your argument.
The fact that we have a national media outlet telling them EXACTLY what goes through and what doesn’t (down to the measurements and composition) simplifies the uncertainty greatly for them.
In war, you never give anything to the enemy for free, no matter how innocuous or seemingly innocent it is. You have to make them work for everything, never give them anything concrete, which is exactly what this article did.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.