Keep the Shoes On

3 April 2010



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US Unveils New Airport Security Measures

Flying in the US has been an enormous unpleasantness since the Al Qaeda murders of 2001. No more cutlery for meals (no more meals due to costs), removing shoes at check-in, no liquids in bottles of any useful size. None of this actually improved security, but as George Carlin noted, "it made white people feel better." False security, of course, is worse than no security, and yesterday, the US Heimatschutzminister Janet Napolitano announced an approach that may actually work.

"These new measures utilize real-time, threat-based intelligence along with multiple, random layers of security, both seen and unseen, to more effectively mitigate evolving terrorist threats," Ms. Napolitano said. This is a jargon-laden way of saying, "We going to try to use facts to find the bad guys."

MSNBC.com reported, "A senior administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the new system would require travelers who match information about terrorism suspects, such as a physical description, partial name or travel pattern, to undergo additional screening. 'So it's much more tailored to what the intel is telling us, what the threat is telling us, as opposed to stopping all individuals of a particular nationality or all individuals using a particular passport,' the official said." Finally, the government will go hunting where the ducks are.

Those concerned with freedom and liberty (those things that are supposed to be protected by the government but which have, in the last several years, been eroded in the name of security) seem to be on board. Today's Washington Post reported, "The move was hailed as a significant first step by groups often critical of US security practices, including American Muslim organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union, airline and travel industries. Some of these groups had warned that the 14-country rule [part of the old system] would lead to racial profiling and delays in the busy summer travel season."

Thus far, America and the rest of the developed world has been lucky. Apart from the spectacle of September 11, 2001, the opposition has been largely inept. Even their greater successes (e.g., the recent Moscow metro bombings) have been pretty small beer. That fortune extends to the ports and railways as well. Both the Bush and Obama administrations have failed miserably to protect these assets. That may be changing. MSNBC.com also reported, "The US government also released on Friday a review of rail security conducted over the past year in a report called 'Surface Transportation Security Priority Assessment' that provides recommendations and guidelines on improving security on rail transportation." Now, if they can just implement the ideas, that would be real progress.

© Copyright 2010 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.

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