Security Theater

Today is the busiest travel day of the year, the day before Thanksgiving.  


Today Security Theater will be in full mode.

The ridiculous, ineffective, invasive new security procedures at airports of full body scans and pat downs will be in effect for the prisoners  airline passengers traveling today.

Editorials are being written about telling airport passengers to "get over it" and submit to the new humiliating and ineffective procedures of having their bodies scanned revealing all and/or having a personal "pat down" which in effect is a full body grope.  What has happened to our society?  I thought these procedures were for folks arrested for crimes and prisoners upon entering prison?  

Many of the talking heads on TV also voice "what's the big deal?"  I find it amazing that people who are paid a LOT OF MONEY to analyze these things are SO STUPID.  Chris Matthews of "Hardball" is one that comes to mind.  He says he will do "anything" to comply with airport security.  Really Chris?  How about a deep cavity search before you board a plane?  That's where this is going you know.

The new full body scanners are ineffective in detecting liquid or powder explosives. What's to prevent a potential terrorist in putting a tube or vial of these kinds of explosives in their anus, vagina, or penis?  Huh?  HUH?  

Let's get serious folks.  The terrorists are dead serious.  It's about time we stop this Security Theater and do some real airport security.  And what is that?

1. Metal detectors (remember those?  That's what we were doing to detect guns and knives)
2. Conveyor belts (remember those?  That's what we were doing to detect potential weapons)
3. Wanding (remember those?  That's what we did when we were pulled out of line - it's not invasive but very effective in detecting any potential weapon on a body
4. Having a trained security expert observe the passengers waiting in line for their tickets and question anyone who fits a certain profile (yes, I said it PROFILE) or acts nervous.
5. If this security expert suspects anyone, then pull them out of the line for a further questioning and a possible full body scan and pat down.

With these new "enhanced procedures" folks, all we're doing now is Security Theater.  It's all for show.  It is looking for the bomb and not the bomber, and it's not even effective in doing that.

All the new procedures is doing is assaulting passengers with unconstitutional body searches.  Remember, in the constitution is says "......a reasonable cause for search."  To subject the mass of the riding public for such invasive searches IS NOT REASONABLE.  

So all you talking heads and experts who are advising us to "get over it" and surrender our basic right to privacy are wrong.  You're wrong, wrong, wrong. 

It's amazing.  Here I am speck of sand on the eastern shore of coastal Delaware.  A "nothing" in the big scheme of things.  But I know MORE than all these overpaid so called "experts", editorial writers and talking heads on TV.  

Just look at the pictures I have posted on this blog.  


This is just WRONG.

An Element of Risk

Let's face it, we're always going to be at risk when we fly.  No amount of airport security will guarantee 100% safety from a potential terrorists once we're on the airplane.

Tonight I was watching Chris Matthews on "Hardball" debate the subject of enhanced airport security with the full body scans and the pat downs.  While I usually agree with Chris, on this subject I do not agree.  Chris, with the typical arrogance of most of the talking heads on TV and cable, says he travels a lot and "doesn't have a problem with airport security."  Well goody two shoes for Chris.  So he's not bothered.  That still doesn't address the problems of others who are humiliated by the new airport security with the body scans that show the nude body and the invasive pat downs.

Chris asks the question of the person he is bullying "What do you expect the TSA employees to do?"  I have an answer for that.  Have the public empty their pocket in a container to go through the conveyor belt and have them walk through a metal detector.  This is the procedure that was used before the Shoe Bomber and the Underwear Bomber.  This security check will catch anyone carrying a concealed weapon.

If someone acts suspicious or airport security has reason to suspect the customer, pull them aside and interview them to get more information.  Do the work.  Don't go through the kubaki dance of airport security.  What we have now is Security Theater.  This version of airport security is ineffective.  All it does is annoy, humiliate and delay the customer. 

Using the logic that TSA is using now by gradually uping the ante of airport security with ever more invasive procedures, the day is not that far off that customers passing through airport security will be the same as prisoners being stripped and subjected to deep cavity searches before they enter prison.  Think I'm kidding?  Think about it.  Under the guise of protecting us from terrorism, the TSA thinks they have unlimited power to do whatever they deem necessary to "protect us" from the terrorists. 

The best security has been proven since 9/11.  All attempted terrorists have been thwarted since 9/11 by passengers on the airplane.  The Shoe Bomber was caught by fellow passengers.  The Underwear Bomber was caught by fellow passengers.  The only reason the 9/11 terrorists got away with what they did was because our airports and passengers were operating under the old way of thinking for handling airline hijackers.  On 9/11 they caught us by surprise.  That won't happen again. 

As far as stopping weapons from coming on a plane confiscating finger nail clippers isn't going to do it.  What about a terrorist with long finger nails?  Grab an airline attendent by and threaten to gouge her eye out with a long fingernail, isn't that a weapon?  How about fingers?  They can be used to strangle. 

There is an element of risk in airline travel.  We can only do so much for airport security before the line is crossed and the general public loses all of its right to privacy.  Let the Chris Matthews of the world go through all the body scanners they want to.  Let them go get the enhanced pat down.  However, we citizens of this country still have a consitutional right to decline such demeaning and ineffective methods of airport security. 

The terrorist threat exists.  That's what terrorism is all about, they terrorize.  They have been successful so far.  Remember when suicide bombers tried to stop the Israelis from going about their business?  The Israelies refused to change their way of life and hide.  No matter how many were killed in a suicide bomber event in an Israeli market place, the Israeli's would clean up the bloody mess and return the market to activity immediately.  That is the way you deal with terrorism, refuse to be intimidated.

Back on Line

I'm back on line folks and not a minute too soon.  So much to discuss.


Well, it turns out the problem with the Internet connection was inside.  My telephone cord went bad.  Just like that, it went bad.  I didn't touch a thing.  


Vicky, my Verizon service person (who I know quite well now from her numerous visits for my numerous service calls) checked the DSL speed coming in my house.  I have a direct line from outside the wall into my home office.  That speed was 7 MP.  At a loss at what to do now, we switched the telephone line inside that goes to the router.  Viola!  That worked!  


I am humbled.  I was wrong.  It wasn't Verizon's fault but my own negligence for having a bad telephone line.  Uh, and just how was I to know that.  Well, "things happen."  


So I'm back on line and now it's Catch Up Time.


I have a lot to write about the TSA and their Security Theater at the airport.  I will do that in a future blog posting.  I'll probably do that tomorrow after Bill and I return from Sam's Club in Dover.  This is our last shopping trip before the Christmas Deluge which begins Black Friday.  When all the Christmas shopping craziness starts we stay and home to keep out of everyone's way.  Nobody needs two doddering old men hindering their Christmas shopping experience.


Now it is time for me to watch "Dancing With the Stars".  Yes, I finally have local (aka network) TV!  I want to see what all the fuss is about Bristol Palin and if she really is that fantastic dancer the Palinites keep voting back week after week.  


Hey, I don't care if she wins.  Reality shows aren't really reality shows anyway.  They're nothing but popularity shows.  That's fine with me.  They're scripted just like any other TV show.  They're about as "real" as professional wrestling.