The Terrorists Are Winning!
Dec. 29th, 2009 07:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prowler1971This article does a nice job summing up how I feel about the TSA. I would like to add the disclaimer that I do not blame the people who are simply doing their jobs as handed down by the higher ups. I recognize that even in my own job, I have to deal with policies I disagree with. But those policies don't inconvenience millions of people on a daily basis. I apologize in advance to anyone I know who works for the TSA and had no part in the decision making process. If you did have a part in making these decisions, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Apparently the latest rule to get handed down by the TSA is that during the last hour of a flight, you must remain in your seat and you may have nothing in your lap. Can I hold my iPod? Read my book? If not, someone had best ply me with booze or I'm going to choke the shit out of the "uniformed crew member" who tries to get me to sit still and look forward for an hour. I didn't know I was paying to sit in detention.
Feel free to Google all the various articles on this. This isn't about whether or not the TSA is doing a good job. It's about the terrorists winning. As such, this is mostly opinion.
The idea behind terrorism is to disrupt the lives of the people they are trying to terrorize, presumably with fear. But they've done much worse. They've inconvenienced us. A lot. And as such, we're unhappy with our political leaders. (There are a lot of reasons to be unhappy with our political leaders but let's not get into that.) The simply act of travel has become an unbelievable burden and still, we put up with it grumbling all the way.
When I was traveling a lot for my job from 1999 to 2002, I bought a small suitcase which was as big as you could take as carry on luggage. Why? Far more convenient than checking a bag. (And these days, cheaper.) New rules for liquids and gels have made taking carry on luggage a giant pain in the rump. (And let's face it, most people don't obey the rules and try to fit their giant roll on luggage into the overhead compartment where everyone knows it won't fit. Start enforcing THAT rule one of these days... and then charge THOSE people for their checked luggage.) Now, unless it's a really short trip, I'll check my bag and take my laptop bag with me as my personal item. Sometimes, I'll just pick up my toiletries when I get where I'm going.
And I have to take my shoes off because one jerk unsuccessfully attempted to light his on fire. At one point there were some shoes that were okay and some that weren't. Coming back from Canada I didn't have to take my shoes off but I believe I do now, it's been a while. What this has really done is caused more people to fly wearing flip flops and I *HATE* flip flops (which is a rant for another day).
And here's the best part. If a terrorist really wanted to kill a bunch of people packed into a confined space, the security check point would be the PERFECT place to do it. It's a huge bottleneck of people and you wouldn't even have to suicide bomb your way in. "Oops, I can't bring this fluid through? I'll dump it into the big trash barrel with all of the other prohibited liquids." Add some kind of detonator to the unmonitored trash can and BOOM! Now you won't be able to bring your water into the airport at all. Really, how anyone in this day and age can fly and NOT know that they can't bring their water through is ludicrous but it's a stupid rule.
So, the terrorists are winning and when a new rule is put out by the higher ups at the TSA, we, the people of the United States of America, bitch about it for a few weeks and then we go quietly into the night. Nothing changes. Air travel becomes even less convenient. And a few years later, another terrorist attempt to blow up an airplane fails (notice they all fail?) and another pointless rule goes into place.
No guns on an airplane? I can get behind that. No knives? Okay, but you gave me a knife and fork to eat with. (I do get to ride in first class sometimes if I get lucky.) I could easily kill someone with the implements of destruction you just gave me, or the pen and pencil in my bag. I could bludgeon someone to death with a MacBook. I can certainly choke the life out of a "uniformed crew member" and I believe many passengers would just cheer me on.
As a final thought, and because I'm too lazy to do the research, when is the last time a terrorist successfully blew up an airplane from within without first flying it into a building? The only one that comes to mind is Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 and there were several warnings regarding that flight. I suspect much of the increased screenings of checked bags is a result of that but I don't know for certain.
If airport screeners (even long before the TSA came to be) have thwarted other attacks, found bombs, etc, they're not making it public. Not making it public keeps us angry with a feeling of safety. Making it public would make us either fearful or skeptical. It is a true no-win situation but I'd rather know the truth. If the TSA is saving us from bomb plots, let us know.
Other more knowledgeable on the topic have described this whole mess as security theater. It's all designed to make us *feel* safer even if it doesn't make us any safer and just inconveniences us in the process. I never fear a terrorist attack when I'm on an airplane. For as long as I've been flying, I always fear the take off and landing but even got to a point where I could sleep through them.
By the way, I'm 100% in favor of knocking everyone on the airplane out for the duration of the ride and waking us up after we land. Just make it so I can learn French in my sleep.
Apparently the latest rule to get handed down by the TSA is that during the last hour of a flight, you must remain in your seat and you may have nothing in your lap. Can I hold my iPod? Read my book? If not, someone had best ply me with booze or I'm going to choke the shit out of the "uniformed crew member" who tries to get me to sit still and look forward for an hour. I didn't know I was paying to sit in detention.
Feel free to Google all the various articles on this. This isn't about whether or not the TSA is doing a good job. It's about the terrorists winning. As such, this is mostly opinion.
The idea behind terrorism is to disrupt the lives of the people they are trying to terrorize, presumably with fear. But they've done much worse. They've inconvenienced us. A lot. And as such, we're unhappy with our political leaders. (There are a lot of reasons to be unhappy with our political leaders but let's not get into that.) The simply act of travel has become an unbelievable burden and still, we put up with it grumbling all the way.
When I was traveling a lot for my job from 1999 to 2002, I bought a small suitcase which was as big as you could take as carry on luggage. Why? Far more convenient than checking a bag. (And these days, cheaper.) New rules for liquids and gels have made taking carry on luggage a giant pain in the rump. (And let's face it, most people don't obey the rules and try to fit their giant roll on luggage into the overhead compartment where everyone knows it won't fit. Start enforcing THAT rule one of these days... and then charge THOSE people for their checked luggage.) Now, unless it's a really short trip, I'll check my bag and take my laptop bag with me as my personal item. Sometimes, I'll just pick up my toiletries when I get where I'm going.
And I have to take my shoes off because one jerk unsuccessfully attempted to light his on fire. At one point there were some shoes that were okay and some that weren't. Coming back from Canada I didn't have to take my shoes off but I believe I do now, it's been a while. What this has really done is caused more people to fly wearing flip flops and I *HATE* flip flops (which is a rant for another day).
And here's the best part. If a terrorist really wanted to kill a bunch of people packed into a confined space, the security check point would be the PERFECT place to do it. It's a huge bottleneck of people and you wouldn't even have to suicide bomb your way in. "Oops, I can't bring this fluid through? I'll dump it into the big trash barrel with all of the other prohibited liquids." Add some kind of detonator to the unmonitored trash can and BOOM! Now you won't be able to bring your water into the airport at all. Really, how anyone in this day and age can fly and NOT know that they can't bring their water through is ludicrous but it's a stupid rule.
So, the terrorists are winning and when a new rule is put out by the higher ups at the TSA, we, the people of the United States of America, bitch about it for a few weeks and then we go quietly into the night. Nothing changes. Air travel becomes even less convenient. And a few years later, another terrorist attempt to blow up an airplane fails (notice they all fail?) and another pointless rule goes into place.
No guns on an airplane? I can get behind that. No knives? Okay, but you gave me a knife and fork to eat with. (I do get to ride in first class sometimes if I get lucky.) I could easily kill someone with the implements of destruction you just gave me, or the pen and pencil in my bag. I could bludgeon someone to death with a MacBook. I can certainly choke the life out of a "uniformed crew member" and I believe many passengers would just cheer me on.
As a final thought, and because I'm too lazy to do the research, when is the last time a terrorist successfully blew up an airplane from within without first flying it into a building? The only one that comes to mind is Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 and there were several warnings regarding that flight. I suspect much of the increased screenings of checked bags is a result of that but I don't know for certain.
If airport screeners (even long before the TSA came to be) have thwarted other attacks, found bombs, etc, they're not making it public. Not making it public keeps us angry with a feeling of safety. Making it public would make us either fearful or skeptical. It is a true no-win situation but I'd rather know the truth. If the TSA is saving us from bomb plots, let us know.
Other more knowledgeable on the topic have described this whole mess as security theater. It's all designed to make us *feel* safer even if it doesn't make us any safer and just inconveniences us in the process. I never fear a terrorist attack when I'm on an airplane. For as long as I've been flying, I always fear the take off and landing but even got to a point where I could sleep through them.
By the way, I'm 100% in favor of knocking everyone on the airplane out for the duration of the ride and waking us up after we land. Just make it so I can learn French in my sleep.
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no subject
Date: 2009-12-29 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-29 01:21 pm (UTC)And I completely agree, I'm just not nearly so well-written. You should submit this to a newspaper/online editorial section.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-29 02:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-29 02:12 pm (UTC)The bomb was liquid nitroglycerin hidden in a contact lens bottle and used a Casio watch as a timer. He hid the wires in his shoe. He assembled the bomb in the bathroom, hid it under his seat and set it to go off after he'd disembarked. Four hours later it blew a hole into the cargo area and killed a Japanese businessman.
It is believed that Yousef tried to place the bomb as close to the central fuel tank as possible, but the model of 747 he was on was newer and the seat he chose was further back. It's also believed this was a prototype run for planned strike against U.S. based planes later on, but Yousef was arrested in early 1995 before he could put the plan into affect.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-29 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-31 03:34 am (UTC)