Ann McFeatters had a well-written column in Sunday's San Diego Union Tribune that pointed out the dilemma that we have in trying to stop terrorism.
National security measures more invasive than effective | UTSanDiego.com
She explained that TSA caught her gift of perfume that was slightly more than the 3 oz maximum, but apparently misses many of the guns and knives that their own inspectors are able to pass through the airport inspections. Apparently bomb-making materials got through 67 out of 70 attempts. The good news is that TSA does have a program to "test" their inspection system. I hope their statistics improve! I wonder if they are too focused on collecting up the loose change ($675,000 in year) and miss doing what they are supposed to be doing (See this link). I've often thought that TSA designed the airport checkpoints to maximize opportunity for people to leave change and valuables. It is also now reported (Ashley Halsey, Washington Post) that TSA is trying to catch whoever "leaked" the report on the results of the security tests with guns & knives. It appears to me that again, the Government is trying to "kill the messenger" by finding the "leaker" rather than correcting the problem. NSA did the same thing with Snowden, who reported the Government was spying on Americans. Of course nobody in NSA has been prosecuted for violating the law, or lying to congress, but they do want to catch Snowden!
It is obvious that it is much easier for a terrorist to cause damage, death, or injury, than it is to defend against the terrorism. To a terrorist, every place and every person is a target. To the defenders, a target terrorist could be anyone, and their weapon could be almost anything! It could be a liquid, a solid, a powder, a knife, a gas, or even a sharp stick! That's what makes terrorism so easy to do, and difficult to defend against. When a terrorist is willing to give up his life, it is even more difficult!
The terrorists have seemingly "won" most of the war so far. They have successfully caused all citizens in almost all countries to take expensive and cumbersome actions which have reduced our freedoms. Perversely, terrorist organizations can then say that the governments in our countries are taking away freedoms, and use that as a rallying cry for recruitment! Government now spies on our bank accounts, our internet usage, our telephone calls, and our location, all in the name of fighting terrorism. We and our vehicles are searched at transportation nodes, and our computers can be searched at any time. Yes, the terrorists have caused all of us to lose many freedoms. We have also had to pay for all of this additional layer of security. The cost of the immense amount of additional security has become a huge tax on our economy. Think of the salaries paid to all of the additional TSA, FBI, CIA, NSA, and border patrol employees involved with physical inspections, and sitting in rooms listening to all of our telephone calls and internet use!. The latest Gallup Poll shows that a majority of the US believes we should worry about protecting our rights more than protecting against terrorism. However it does amaze me that there are a lot of people who are willing to give up their privacy to protect against terrorism. It is funny how people think. So many people won't fly because they are afraid of a one in a million crash, but will buy a lottery ticket for that one in a million chance of winning. So they are willing to give up all of their personal and financial privacy to help protect them from that one in a million chance of being a victim of terrorism
I'm afraid that a lot of these techniques that are being used to counter terrorism are being done to make the public think that we are safer because of them. It is clear that the TSA airport inspections aren't all that effective. But it does give travelers the feeling that something is being done for their safety. Maybe that's why TSA wants to keep their "testing program" secret! I'm not sure that they will do all that much to actually stop it. I sure wish there were an easier answer!
National security measures more invasive than effective | UTSanDiego.com
She explained that TSA caught her gift of perfume that was slightly more than the 3 oz maximum, but apparently misses many of the guns and knives that their own inspectors are able to pass through the airport inspections. Apparently bomb-making materials got through 67 out of 70 attempts. The good news is that TSA does have a program to "test" their inspection system. I hope their statistics improve! I wonder if they are too focused on collecting up the loose change ($675,000 in year) and miss doing what they are supposed to be doing (See this link). I've often thought that TSA designed the airport checkpoints to maximize opportunity for people to leave change and valuables. It is also now reported (Ashley Halsey, Washington Post) that TSA is trying to catch whoever "leaked" the report on the results of the security tests with guns & knives. It appears to me that again, the Government is trying to "kill the messenger" by finding the "leaker" rather than correcting the problem. NSA did the same thing with Snowden, who reported the Government was spying on Americans. Of course nobody in NSA has been prosecuted for violating the law, or lying to congress, but they do want to catch Snowden!
It is obvious that it is much easier for a terrorist to cause damage, death, or injury, than it is to defend against the terrorism. To a terrorist, every place and every person is a target. To the defenders, a target terrorist could be anyone, and their weapon could be almost anything! It could be a liquid, a solid, a powder, a knife, a gas, or even a sharp stick! That's what makes terrorism so easy to do, and difficult to defend against. When a terrorist is willing to give up his life, it is even more difficult!
The terrorists have seemingly "won" most of the war so far. They have successfully caused all citizens in almost all countries to take expensive and cumbersome actions which have reduced our freedoms. Perversely, terrorist organizations can then say that the governments in our countries are taking away freedoms, and use that as a rallying cry for recruitment! Government now spies on our bank accounts, our internet usage, our telephone calls, and our location, all in the name of fighting terrorism. We and our vehicles are searched at transportation nodes, and our computers can be searched at any time. Yes, the terrorists have caused all of us to lose many freedoms. We have also had to pay for all of this additional layer of security. The cost of the immense amount of additional security has become a huge tax on our economy. Think of the salaries paid to all of the additional TSA, FBI, CIA, NSA, and border patrol employees involved with physical inspections, and sitting in rooms listening to all of our telephone calls and internet use!. The latest Gallup Poll shows that a majority of the US believes we should worry about protecting our rights more than protecting against terrorism. However it does amaze me that there are a lot of people who are willing to give up their privacy to protect against terrorism. It is funny how people think. So many people won't fly because they are afraid of a one in a million crash, but will buy a lottery ticket for that one in a million chance of winning. So they are willing to give up all of their personal and financial privacy to help protect them from that one in a million chance of being a victim of terrorism
I'm afraid that a lot of these techniques that are being used to counter terrorism are being done to make the public think that we are safer because of them. It is clear that the TSA airport inspections aren't all that effective. But it does give travelers the feeling that something is being done for their safety. Maybe that's why TSA wants to keep their "testing program" secret! I'm not sure that they will do all that much to actually stop it. I sure wish there were an easier answer!
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