Posted on 09/04/2002 10:59:01 AM PDT by HassanBenSobar
From the moment the Transportation Security Administration was formed, agency officials have been consumed by the idea of a vast network of supercomputers that would instantly probe every passenger's background for clues about violent designs.
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Let's face it, since 9/11, no sane person would attempt to hijack a plane with a box cutter.
It would be tantamount to suicide.
Some "investigative" new agency did a report on Fox News Network talking about how they were able to pass inspection with box cutters and razor blades in their carry-on.
Who cares?
Any hijacker that pulls a razor or box cutter on a plane will be DEAD within 15 minutes, or at least seriously injured.
I am concerned about;
(1) Explosive devices.
(2) Guns in carry-on luggage. ( Guns in luggage going to the baggage compartment are O.K., as long as they are declared. )
All else is just baggage.
I don't care about nail clippers, hell, I don't even care about Your folding Buck knife.
I especially don't care about G.I. Joe accessories, and abhor the idea of scaring the bejesus out of little kids.
A suggestion for the TSA......
Get Your Head out of Your Posterior!
You need to concentrate on the ability to take out the entire plane, not shaving accidents.
You need to concentrate on those who are actually a possible threat, not 90 year olds, not 10 year olds.
Call it Profiling. It's not a dirty word.
It's pragmatism..
Does it offend some minorities? Tough.
The TSA is destroying the Airline Industry.
The Airline Industry is helping.
Why?
Because they can blame it all on the fattest checkbook in the world.
The U.S. Government.
I can see the clouds of lawsuits gathering.
Looks like a big storm.
A few years ago a pregnant white lady was correctly profiled and prevented from taking a bomb on board--because certain factors indicated she was a high risk. Those factors are, of course, secret. The technology does have value, even if it doesn't look that way from the outside.
Political Ideology, age range, ancestry (race), criminal history, associates, point of origin, homeland, etc, etc, etc....
All should be considered.
Only good thing is in the last few months I've seen two line cutters get pulled over for the search!
What is frustrating is that with all the federal $$ being spent by those clowns, I have seen almost nothing done that really improves security.
That's the idea. You don't want any terrorists to be able to reverse-engineer the system. Of course, what's in place now is the old system, which has lots of serious shortcomings.
Sorry, I don't agree. A random search system may have some in terrorem effect, but in actuality is bound to fail. There were 622,000,000 passengers in 2001 and 19 hijackers, or 0.00000003%. The bad guys have engineers and can run the numbers. Their solution is just send a few more crews to build in a cushion in case one or two are stopped.
The only search selection system that will actually work is profiling, which the TSA, our crack federal airport security professionals, can't seem to get off the ground. And since Mineta refuses to allow a national origin component to the profile, I submit the effectiveness of the system is degraded before it starts.
"Of course, what's in place now is the old system, which has lots of serious shortcomings." Agreed!!
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