Why do we fail to detect or defeat the guilty, and why do we do so well at collective punishment of the innocent? The answer to the first question is: Because we can’t—or won’t. The answer to the second question is: Because we can. The fault here is not just with our endlessly incompetent security services, who give the benefit of the doubt to people who should have been arrested long ago or at least had their visas and travel rights revoked. It is also with a public opinion that sheepishly bleats to be made to “feel safe.” The demand to satisfy that sad illusion can be met with relative ease if you pay enough people to stand around and stare significantly at the citizens’ toothpaste. My impression as a frequent traveler is that intelligent Americans fail to protest at this inanity in case it is they who attract attention and end up on a no-fly list instead. Perfect.
It will continue until we demand our rights again. And unfortunately, this is a bi-partisan problem. This idiotic philosophy applied in the last administration as well. It’s a natural tendency of bureaucrats of any stripe.
Also, I was listening to some talk radio today in the car (Prager) and it occurred to me that people have this strange notion that “safe” is a binary condition. Something is safe or it is not. But it’s not. As I’ve said in other contexts (what a mess the human spaceflight program is), there is no safety this side of the dirt. Every decision you make, every action you take, carries some level of risk. Each one must be balanced against the expected benefit. When someone asks the president if it’s “safe to fly,” he should use it as a teachable moment. But he won’t.
It is also with a public opinion that sheepishly bleats to be made to “feel safe.”
I’m calling bullshit on this statement. Listen, I don’t know personally anyone who demanded government erect the TSA and wand grandmas and have everyone take off his shoe buckles and get to the airport 3 hours ahead of time, in the vague hopes of preventing J. Random Achmed Terroristdullah from sneaking a dick bomb on board. Do you? Does anyone? Is this at all consistent with the Let’s Roll mentality we’ve seen motivate actual people in the actual circumstances of a threat to their safety in the air?
I say no. I think this so-called “public demand for safety” is entirely made up by the government functionaries and media commentators for whom it serves as an excuse for gigantic power grabs. I don’t think real, live, actual people think that way at all, except a small and shrill minority.
But let’s try it. Abolish the TSA. Get rid of ALL government-mandated airline safety regs, and let people fly any way they choose, and let airlines compete, if they want to, on the basis of safety against terrorism. You can fly El Al if you want very secure travel, or Old Granny Airlines, which does a cavity search on every passenger and locks them into bombproof titanium cubicles on board, or El Macho airlines if you think an open-carry policy on board is the best and cheapest form of security.
If you worry about threats to those on the ground, government can issue a warning that airliners that have been clearly compromised will be shot down. If you don’t think there’ll be enough warning time, you can have government force every airline not meeting certain Federal guidelines for security to have a radio-operated remote-control destruct device built into it, just like missiles do. People can choose to fly with airlines that meet the Federal standards, and don’t have the destruct device, or they can fly the cheaper and lower-wait time airlines that do.
Then we’ll find out what people actually want.
“But let’s try it. Abolish the TSA. Get rid of ALL government-mandated airline safety regs, and let people fly any way they choose, and let airlines compete, if they want to, on the basis of safety against terrorism. ”
Phammy, you’re ridiculous.
That is all.
There was a bloke on TV here a couple of days ago being interviewed by the media at Sydney airport about increased security and he seemed to think it was a really good idea. I don’t know if the media put him up to it. Another bloke I know thought the security presence at airports showed that the authorities were “really serious” about security and it made him feel safe. He’s a private pilot . I was appalled.
So unfortunately Carl I think there is some fraction of the public who back this nonsense.
“…bombproof titanium cubicles on board…” Now THERE’S an idea.