[FairfaxVA]

Sheesh, what a dumb policy.

[KoRn]

Typical government thought process on security.

[guitfiddlist]

Reminds me of my time in the AF - when the undercover guys wore suits - but sported strict AFR 35-10 regulation haircuts - in the early 80's. Let's see...spend millions of dollars setting up covert offices, personnel and alibis - then give it all away with a $3 haircut. Sounds about right.

But not to worry - the TSA guys routinely identify all potential terrorists before any flight, by probing grandma's and 13-year old girls who gave themselves away by buying one-way tickets less than 2 weeks before a flight.

The stupidity at DOT is absolutely criminal.

[OldFriend]

Disagree with Michelle on this.

There are business men and women on every flight I've ever been on so I don't think dressed in a sports jacket signifies 'MARSHALL' at all.

Further, I think seeing someone dressed in a suit or sports jacket sends a message of authority.

Better to discourage anything untoward than to have a situation on board.

[Smittie]

This whole airport "security" process is a farce. It doesn't allow the use of profiling the most likely terrorist, but it sure protects us by strip searching grandma. I'm sure the security risks of young blond women have increased also. I can just imagine some federal screener,"excuse me maam, I need to make sure those aren't a couple of bombs under your shirt."

I'll never fly again until they get some sanity back in the process. They need to model the security measures Israel uses.

[RAY]

It seems simple, air marshals should be as inconspicuous as possible - in dress or otherwise.

What is complicated about this?

[RAY]

Seems all the more reason to arm the pilots!

[aspiring.hillbilly]

Dumb and dumber, Why oh why does George Bush put up with this kinda crap? Sitting in planes day by day is a boring job, why piss them off unnecessarily?? Of all the people who resigned from the cabinet, I was looking for Minetta to resign, he is the worst one in the cabinet, looks like this idiot is staying on. That why I drive and wont fly anymore (except to Europe)...

[steve-b]

Quinn reminds me of the story about the banana republic dictator who hired a Paris fashion designer to create a new uniform. The dictator constantly interfered with the development process, insisting on ever more braid, ribbons, buttons, and miscellaneous fru-fru. The final result looked like the Major-General from The Pirates of Penzance as played by Liberace.

Gritting his teeth and forcing a smile, the designer declared, "I'm sure these uniforms will look splendid on your palace guards."

"Palace guards? These are for my secret police!"

[ampat]

Fire Quinn and hire Frank Drevin of Police Squad. What an improvement that would be.

[wildbill]

I think the problem is in having a 'known' policy at all. You could easily make the arguement that having highly visible marshalls on planes could disrupt a terrorist takeover plan simply by their presence. Like having cops on the beat in high crime areas reduces crime.

The opposing argument--that most passengers somehow all dress alike in 'collarless' shirts and without suits is similarly stupid. I've worn suits on planes simply to keep them out of a bag.

If you want to create doubt in the minds of the terrorists, the best policy would be a policy that allowed marshalls to 'mix it up' in their clothing. That way the terrorists wouldn't have a clue as to whether a marshall was on board.

[Hatteras]

They need more Air Marshalls that look (and "act" for that matter) like this guy:

[Modernman]

Quinn spent two decades at the Secret Service before taking over the air marshals service, which may explain his dangerous fashion taste for the Men in Black uniforms.

Yup. The Secret Service makes an effort to project their presence. This guy can't seem to realize that doing the same as an Air Marshall is not a good idea.

[nightdriver]

It looks like the biggest deterrent to aircraft hijackings has been the unsuccessful attempt that crashed in Pennsylvania where the passengers themselves fought back.

I don't think the sniveling moos expected that.

It's OK, I guess, to have marshals on the plane, but we're kidding ourselves if we think that their presence makes us safe.