| | Did you hear about the soldier who was allowed on board with his rifle, but had to surrender his nail clippers? When he pointed out the contradiction to the TSA attendant, he was told that the gun was okay, because since it wasn't loaded, he couldn't take over the plane with it. The attendant didn't explain why the soldier could, in fact, take over the plane with his nail clippers.
Then there was the discovery of a loaded magazine clip under a seat in one of the planes, left there by a police officer who forgot it.
If these enhanced searches are designed to thoroughly prevent any bombs from getting past security, they don't go far enough. Body cavities are another possibility, which the pat downs don't cover. A woman's uterus can deliver a baby, so it could certainly contain an explosive device. Circling a woman's bra is a feeble attempt to guard against her carrying such a device on board. The only way to really be sure nothing gets on is to do a thorough search of all body cavities. Either authorize such an invasive procedure or don't waste our time doing a piddly pat down.
Why don't we take our cue from Israel, which is in far more danger of terrorist hijackings than the U.S.? The Israelis don't waste their time on the kind of searches we're doing. They are far more selective. They look for individuals whose behavior is questionable due to their body language and the manner in which they respond to questions. In other words, they engage in profiling; they don't search every elderly grandmother or five-year old child!
If a terrorist really want's to create havoc and terror, he or she would be more successful in setting off a bomb in a crowded shopping center than setting one off on a plane. Far fewer people fly than go shopping! But, no, just because previous attacks occurred on a plane, all of our security efforts go in that direction -- like the next attack will duplicate the last one!
When is our government going to acquire a modicum of common sense?
What a circus!
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Fly with Dignity
