Posted on 01/04/2010 11:17:50 PM PST by Tucson_AZ
Excellent video from the Wall Street Journal: How Israel Screens for Terrorists. According to Israelis, the secret to their successful airport security is not labor-intensive checkpoints, but a screening system that is frowned upon in many other countries: ethnic profiling.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
This reminds me of a time years ago when I was in a line at the Ben Gurion airport waiting to be checked through by security. Unbeknownst to me, I had dropped my passport and my friend had picked it up and hidden it. I can still remember the panicky feeling of not having it and suddenly feeling I was under a cloud of suspicion by the security officers. I can’t remember my friend’s name but I’ll never forget her face.
Our government has known the following for decades: 99% of all terrorist actions in the past 50 years have been caused by Muslim males between the ages of 16 - 45.
Politics, pure politics, is the reason we don’t follow the example of the Israelis.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
“Politics, pure politics, is the reason we don’t follow the example of the Israelis.”
- We follow the example set by the Democrats. That is why we have all the problems that we do with minorities getting handouts left and right, with us not wanting to “offend” anyone by profiling.
But Sheriff Joe is onto them. :)
some friend, to pull a prank like that on you...
And it works so well they don’t even have to keep it a secret....
There was one example where EL Al caught a terrorist because he had been sent by his handlers to get on the plane in Switzerland rather than in Germany where he lived. When going through the barrage of questions, he had no quick answer for “Why didn't you fly from your hometown in Germany?” He was searched and found to have explosives.
The other example was the woman (nationality??) who had the Arab boyfriend who had packed her luggage for her. I forget where they were going, but boyfriend told her to fly El Al even though he told her he could not because they wouldn't accept a (whatever he was, Syrian?) on El Al, but he wanted his precious girlfriend to fly safely. He said he'd meet her at their destination. When she was asked all those questions, it did not quite make sense to El Al, and sure enough, unbeknownst to her, her suitcase was half explosives.
All our airport security got from that was to ask us for about 15 years "Who packed your suitcases?" Sheesh.
Unfortunately we have to bow to a bunch of political dumb asses, mostly liberals who want to make sure misery and inconvenience is spread equally just so it appears to be politically correct. Unfortunately for this tune to change it will take a few airplanes to fall out of the sky or another event like 9/11 times ten. But this is what happens when the inmates run the asylum.
Here’s one for you. An acquaintance was flying, armed with a pistol. He had all the paperwork from his agency authorizing it.(Cop on a detail)TSA knew that he was a cop, and that he was armed with a pistol. They confiscated his nail clippers because it had a two inch blade on it.
Goes to show that Isreal DOES the right thing.
God Bless Sheriff Joe.
No kidding. Once we parted ways, I don’t think I ever heard from her again. Patty. That was her name.
I fit an Israeli security profile, due to that last incident Yaelle described: single, non-Jewish woman, who travels on her own in Israel. Therefore I arrive FOUR hours early to Ben Gurion so they have time to search my luggage, hand wand me, take everything (I mean everything) out of my suitcases & carry-on, take apart my pens, my asthma inhalers. And I’m thankful they do that!! I know their attention to detail comes from their concern for everyone’s safety.
“All along they would be scrutinizing not his bodily bulges but his twitches. What Israel excels at is not even ethnic profiling so much as psychological profiling.”
It’s what good policemen in this country do everyday. I’ve read a half dozen stories about an unknown entering the “secure area” of an airport through the exit side. Have you ever noticed how often they have some 300 pound slob sitting there half awake? Those “officers” couldn’t catch themmselves much less a terrorist. If you are ever in SeaTac airport go to the McDonalds. It’s constantly filled with 300 pound TSA slobs shoving their daily wages down their throats.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.