Airline security is a myth, says The Atlantic
Anyone that has flown since September 11, 2001 knows that the “security” measures implemented in response to the events of that day are at best a major hassle and at worst “security theater,” designed to give you the feeling of security since real security is unattainable. The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg partnered with TSA critic and security expert Bruce Schneier, putting their freedom on the line to test the security (and stupidity) of our air travel security measures. What he found is at once shocking, obvious and disgusting. Here is an excerpt:
…because I have a fair amount of experience reporting on terrorists, and because terrorist groups produce large quantities of branded knickknacks, I’ve amassed an inspiring collection of al-Qaeda T-shirts, Islamic Jihad flags, Hezbollah videotapes, and inflatable Yasir Arafat dolls (really). All these things I’ve carried with me through airports across the country. I’ve also carried, at various times: pocketknives, matches from hotels in Beirut and Peshawar, dust masks, lengths of rope, cigarette lighters, nail clippers, eight-ounce tubes of toothpaste (in my front pocket), bottles of Fiji Water (which is foreign), and, of course, box cutters. I was selected for secondary screening four times—out of dozens of passages through security checkpoints—during this extended experiment. At one screening, I was relieved of a pair of nail clippers; during another, a can of shaving cream.Jeffrey Goldberg
The Atlantic
This hardly scratches the surface of this brilliant, brief (3 pages) article that should be required reading for all Americans. This is the kind of issue we need to seize upon, not Joe the Plumber. This is the kind of governmental waste that impacts each and every one of us that ever travels by air. Hell, the last time I flew the pilot didn’t even keep the cockpit door closed the entire time and that is one of the few measures that actually does make flying safer, according to Schneier.
I know the economy is king right now, but this is the kind of issue that the presidential contenders should be discussing. This is brass tacks. Join me in demanding answers.
I fly several times a year and with all the regulations in place, a lot of the time I tend to forget about one or two items in my carry-on. It has never been on purpose, but I have gotten through security: a full bottle of water (that had been opened before and could have therefore easily contained anything else than water), a lighter, scissors, sparklers (left over from New Year’s Eve), lots of smaller containers of liquid that I had forgotten to put in that quart-sized bag, a pocket knife and probably several more items that I forgot to mention. They were never detected. Only when I found them later did I feel like, oh shit, what did I just do? I totally didn’t mean to do this.
On the other hand, my carry-on gets opened and searched all the time because my keys or phone chargers or cameras or whatever look funny on the screen. I really wonder if they are trained properly to look for the right stuff.
Also, I have been to airports (such as, only this month, in Paris) where I “beeped” when I walked through those screening machines and they let me move on anyway without searching me. I really would have preferred if they had, just to get the illusion that this is somewhat safe.
BTW, have you seen this: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/17/eveningnews/main563797.shtml
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