There should be a marquee above every TSA checkpoint showing the number of terrorists since 9/11 who were foiled when the TSA caught them trying to smuggle contraband through a checkpoint.
To my knowledge, that number currently stands at zero.
We’d be saving a bunch of money and we’d actually have to do something about the issue, rather than just making it look like we’re doing something about the issue.
The TSA is “security theatre.” They’re putting on a great show to convince the public that they’re “doing something” about security.
TSA used to brag about the number of potential terrorists they had foiled by showing the piles of nail clippers they had successfully seized. True that.
OK that is a scary thought. I would have never thought of looking at it that was. The airport he mentioned in Israel is the safest in the world. What do they do different? I know, do you?
The Israelis target bombers (people), which works. They profile the hell out of people and do lots of physiological questioning/testing. This takes a skilled, highly trained and intelligent workforce far beyond the capabilities of TSA burger flippers.
The Israelis do *profiling*. Not just race, but race and origin does factor into their overall profiling.
They look at where you’re going. How far ahead did you book, are you going one-way, how did you pay for your ticket, how much luggage do you have with you, are you male or female, are you travelling with children, how old are you, where are you from, what is your race/ethnicity, do you answer questions easily when asked, do you look the gate agent in the eye when answering questions, etc, etc.
In other words, the Israelis treat the issue as a human problem, not a technological one.
Our obsession with being “blind” about race contorts our ability to deal with the human aspects of terrorism. None of the clowns in DC want to admit that a while, female, 80 year old Mormon grandmother has an infinitely small chance of being a terrorist. So they’ll feel her up at the TSA checkpoint to prove how they’re treating everyone “equally.”
“So they’ll feel her up at the TSA checkpoint to prove how they’re treating everyone “equally.””
And won’t do the same to a 20 – 35 YO male of Arab decent with a one way ticket, no luggage, who just paid cash for his ticket and has no relatives in Detroit.
That would fit the underwear bomber. And he got on in Europe so unless they too look at naked pictures of travelers then it’s going to be simple to defeat this/
The behavioral cues are much more important than race/ethnicity issues. There are over a billion Muslims in the world and only a tiny fraction of them are involved in any way in terrorism. By all means consider it as a factor if you want, but having it too high up on the list will have you wasting time scrutinizing people who are no threat whatsoever.
This is totally true. The reaosn there are stupid warning labels is because somebody tried it more than once. Jerry Seinfeld addresses this in one of his stand up routines regarding a Superman costume with a label warning people that it doesn’t give wearers the ability of flight: I love the idea of a kid who’s dumb enough to think the suit will make him fly but smart enough to check the label first
Hard to argue with that.
Dammit!!! Now everyone knows how I fly with my sidearm.
If it is true, it is quite damning–not only the scanners themselves, but for the entire TSA
what a troll! awesome.
Tickets! Get your tickets! Security theatre! Rated “greatest show on earth!”
I”ll take Shoulder holsters for a thousand Alec.
There should be a marquee above every TSA checkpoint showing the number of terrorists since 9/11 who were foiled when the TSA caught them trying to smuggle contraband through a checkpoint.
To my knowledge, that number currently stands at zero.
true, but on the other hand what if there weren’t these procedures? some reasonable some not, i know
We’d be saving a bunch of money and we’d actually have to do something about the issue, rather than just making it look like we’re doing something about the issue.
The TSA is “security theatre.” They’re putting on a great show to convince the public that they’re “doing something” about security.
TSA used to brag about the number of potential terrorists they had foiled by showing the piles of nail clippers they had successfully seized. True that.
Really
OK that is a scary thought. I would have never thought of looking at it that was. The airport he mentioned in Israel is the safest in the world. What do they do different? I know, do you?
The Israelis target bombers (people), which works. They profile the hell out of people and do lots of physiological questioning/testing. This takes a skilled, highly trained and intelligent workforce far beyond the capabilities of TSA burger flippers.
We target bombs, which does not work.
Sort of like targeting guns in crime control.
The Israelis do *profiling*. Not just race, but race and origin does factor into their overall profiling.
They look at where you’re going. How far ahead did you book, are you going one-way, how did you pay for your ticket, how much luggage do you have with you, are you male or female, are you travelling with children, how old are you, where are you from, what is your race/ethnicity, do you answer questions easily when asked, do you look the gate agent in the eye when answering questions, etc, etc.
In other words, the Israelis treat the issue as a human problem, not a technological one.
Our obsession with being “blind” about race contorts our ability to deal with the human aspects of terrorism. None of the clowns in DC want to admit that a while, female, 80 year old Mormon grandmother has an infinitely small chance of being a terrorist. So they’ll feel her up at the TSA checkpoint to prove how they’re treating everyone “equally.”
+1
“So they’ll feel her up at the TSA checkpoint to prove how they’re treating everyone “equally.””
And won’t do the same to a 20 – 35 YO male of Arab decent with a one way ticket, no luggage, who just paid cash for his ticket and has no relatives in Detroit.
That would fit the underwear bomber. And he got on in Europe so unless they too look at naked pictures of travelers then it’s going to be simple to defeat this/
The behavioral cues are much more important than race/ethnicity issues. There are over a billion Muslims in the world and only a tiny fraction of them are involved in any way in terrorism. By all means consider it as a factor if you want, but having it too high up on the list will have you wasting time scrutinizing people who are no threat whatsoever.
Ya gotta love seeing your tax dollars put to work, huh?
I’m all for carrying on board and now I know how to do it without a badge and a letter…
-Gene
Hate to be captain obvious here, but the TSA can easily overcome this by having everybody rotate 90 degrees for a second pass of the scanner.
This is totally true. The reaosn there are stupid warning labels is because somebody tried it more than once. Jerry Seinfeld addresses this in one of his stand up routines regarding a Superman costume with a label warning people that it doesn’t give wearers the ability of flight: I love the idea of a kid who’s dumb enough to think the suit will make him fly but smart enough to check the label first
So what does it mean that both TTAG and DailyKOS both wrote about this today?
A sign of the end times?
Oops. It was mentioned on Crooks and Liars (not DailyKOS).
my mistake.