Since the thwarted Christmas day terrorist attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, airline security and government agencies have responded to the revelation that current security measures aren't working in their customary way: Don't let one hand know what the other is doing.
Newspaper reports confirm that security protocols have been beefed up to absurd levels on some flights while remaining unchanged on others. The Transportation Security Administration explains the confusion away by claiming that the idea is to keep terrorists guessing. Oh, sure. It couldn't be that they just don't know what they're doing, right?
Apparently, frisking infants and making them scream, causing long lines to form on an airborne plane within minutes of announcing an upcoming ban on using the toilets and not allowing passengers to read on flights are now "anti-terrorist" measures.
The incident that occurred at Newark Liberty International airport last night shows just how ridiculous these assertions are. A man was allowed, by sheer neglect, to walk through a door into a secured area without being screened. Luckily, the man was not a terrorist, he just made a mistake. Thanks goodness for luck, or many tragedies would have taken place on planes since 9/11. The airport's reaction to this security flub was typical: Harass passengers by forcing them to be re-screened. Delay flights and re-rout passengers. And, most important of all, don't tell anyone what is going on.
Ever since 9/11, airport security has consisted of inconveniencing customers while charging them higher fares. While persons such as the late Ted Kennedy are placed on "do not fly" lists, those who should be added to these lists are not. In the name of safety, airplanes are left idling on the tarmac, full of passengers without access to toilets or food, for hours. Meanwhile, supposedly secure doors are left unlocked and unattended.
I think I've figured out what they're doing. Think about how recent would-be terrorists like Richard Reid and Abdulmutallab have been foiled: they were subdued by passengers. How does an airline prepare passengers for such duty? By annoying the heck out of them before takeoff. Angry, frustrated passengers with adrenaline coursing through their veins not only make great stand-ins for the absent sky marshals, but the airlines don't have to pay them. They actually pay for the privilege of saving their own lives! And you thought they didn't know what they were doing.
Newspaper reports confirm that security protocols have been beefed up to absurd levels on some flights while remaining unchanged on others. The Transportation Security Administration explains the confusion away by claiming that the idea is to keep terrorists guessing. Oh, sure. It couldn't be that they just don't know what they're doing, right?
Apparently, frisking infants and making them scream, causing long lines to form on an airborne plane within minutes of announcing an upcoming ban on using the toilets and not allowing passengers to read on flights are now "anti-terrorist" measures.
The incident that occurred at Newark Liberty International airport last night shows just how ridiculous these assertions are. A man was allowed, by sheer neglect, to walk through a door into a secured area without being screened. Luckily, the man was not a terrorist, he just made a mistake. Thanks goodness for luck, or many tragedies would have taken place on planes since 9/11. The airport's reaction to this security flub was typical: Harass passengers by forcing them to be re-screened. Delay flights and re-rout passengers. And, most important of all, don't tell anyone what is going on.
Ever since 9/11, airport security has consisted of inconveniencing customers while charging them higher fares. While persons such as the late Ted Kennedy are placed on "do not fly" lists, those who should be added to these lists are not. In the name of safety, airplanes are left idling on the tarmac, full of passengers without access to toilets or food, for hours. Meanwhile, supposedly secure doors are left unlocked and unattended.
I think I've figured out what they're doing. Think about how recent would-be terrorists like Richard Reid and Abdulmutallab have been foiled: they were subdued by passengers. How does an airline prepare passengers for such duty? By annoying the heck out of them before takeoff. Angry, frustrated passengers with adrenaline coursing through their veins not only make great stand-ins for the absent sky marshals, but the airlines don't have to pay them. They actually pay for the privilege of saving their own lives! And you thought they didn't know what they were doing.
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