McSecurity: Flying Blind...The Devil is in the Details

Sierra Times ^ | Glenn R. Jackson

[Sir Gawain]

	McSecurity: Flying Blind... The Devil is in the Details By Glenn R. Jackson Published 05. 30. 02 at 22:07 Sierra Time

How is your sense of outrage? I am talking about that deep sense of outrage that comes from encountering something that violates your bedrock beliefs. I am talking about the outrage that comes from uncivil violations of your very person. I am looking for a sense of outrage that will lead to you personally taking strong actions. Do you think you still have the ability to be that outraged? Well maybe you just are not properly motivated, or have not encountered the right setting yet. Maybe you have not traveled through an U.S. Airport lately. I have, last week, on a vacation with air travel horror as bookends. It would be good to convey the stench of the new Airport Security using the traditional epitaphs of fascists, Nazism, or even to allude to the old KGB of the former Soviet Union. Unfortunately all the current Air Security has in common with those thugs is the ability to abuse freedom and stomp on liberty. Beyond being Freedom's enemy, welcome to security McDonald's style. That's right, take your typical McDonalds team and you have the foundation of the new Airport Security system. You know what I mean, people who have been failed by the liberal education system so badly that a McDonalds has to have cash registers with pictures to press. Pictures of three sizes of cups, three sizes of French fries, press the right picture and collect the money. Our new Airport Security works like that. Random luggage searches are done by rote. Open the suitcase put all of its contents in a plastic tub, stir things around a bit, and then put the contents back in the suitcase by the hands full. Once the contents are in the original luggage it takes two "security guards" to close the thing. One guard will lean on the top to press it down, and the other will zip or latch. I saw this repeated a dozen times. What had drawn my attention was the spectacle of air passengers who appeared to have had their luggage pop open, carefully repacking their belongings. I was sickened when I saw the real culprit. The real horror to this story, the object of greatest disgust, is not the slack jawed new Federal employees. At least these people are doing some kind of work. After all it beats working in the burger-flinging end of corporate America. No, the real source of outrage and disgust are the fools in the U.S. House and Senate that created this idiocy. And I will not forget the equally mush brained bureaucrats at the Department of Transportation that believe arming airline pilots is bad for America, but forcing mindless abuse on law abiding Americans is the right thing to do. Nor will I give the President a pass for his mindless and immoral signing away of American liberty. I do not want to hear anymore about "compassionate conservatism." Conservatism is not about forgetting America's heritage of freedom and liberty no matter the provocation. Conservatism stands for the U.S. Constitution, not for finding a way to circumvent it following the "third-way" to reelection. And "compassionate" is not allowing a small girl, a child of 10 years or less, to be searched and groped by a mindless automaton "just following orders." The President needs to gut check his compassion by watching the horror show I saw at boarding gate 8 security outpost. Wanding a ten-year old, searching through her "Winnie the Pooh" backpack, and swabbing down her tennis shoes was simply government sponsored child abuse. It was a mindless act carried out by a robot, without one smidgen of safety or security added. In Florida, with 80-degree temperatures, even my untrained eye could see this was a child returning from a fun family outing. Hey Jeb, is this the way to end a visit to the Sunshine State? Enough is enough. Do you not believe this travesty is happening? Well then go now and watch and learn. In America's Airports your freedoms are being taken one mindless step at a time. While your personal safety, and that of your friends and family are being placed in harm's way by a government that cares more about avoiding the hurt feelings of a "Profiled" passenger then they do about the outright mindless abuse of the American public. To not immediately institute 'Profiling" at Airport Security checkpoints is a travesty. To continue to trust this McSecurity system for your safety is idiocy, but for the government to continue to support this system is criminal. Profile, profile, profile, and do it now!

[Sir Gawain]

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[Just another Joe]

In all truthfullness, I have to agree with the thrust of this article.
I have traveled since 9/11 and the security in most airports IS laughable. It's keystone cops times thousands.
One example, It's OK to bring matches, it's OK to bring a Bic lighter, but don't try to take a zippo through security. At least in Killeen , Texas.
That's the only airport that I had any problems with my zippo.

[mombonn]

Outstanding essay - thanks! Coupled with the statement from the idiot head of American Airlines this morning that he thinks it's time to cut back on some of the security procedures, I can tell you it will be a LONG time before I find a reason to fly.

[G.Mason]

" I can tell you it will be a LONG time before I find a reason to fly."

I'll second that motion!

All in favor?

[Don Corleone]

Profile, profile, profile, and do it now!

BUMP

[rageaholic]

On the way to Frankfurt through JFK last month, the security guys were foreigners could barely speak English. On the return, my bag was searched by an agent who's nametag said "Mohammad".

The fact that checked luggage is hand searched is indicative of the lack of proper x-ray machinery to check for explosive substances. "The industry can't make enough machines for every airport, it is too expensive yadda yadda"

When asked to fight two world superpowers bent on destroying the USA my parent's generation said CAN DO and stepped up to the plate. What have we really done as a nation so far?

[archy]

As an airline employee and consultant I get to fly for free if I wish, and frequently got to jumpseat ride in the cockpit when that space was available.

I now attend only those airline safety conferences that I can reach via an Amtrak connection. When they arm the pilots, I'll begin to fly again.

-archy-/-

[Joe Brower]

LOL! Here's some McSecurity for ya!

[lds23]

"The industry can't make enough machines for every airport, it is too expensive yadda yadda"

As a previous poster mentioned, there's an American Airlines exec who seems to think the CURRENT procedures are too expensive. I guess the bailout of the airlines at taxpayer's expense cushioned him from the shock of 9/11.

I'm usually not in favor of litigiousness, but in some ways having these guys subject to lawsuits for damages would put him straight in terms of what the costs really are. So far, the costs to the airline industry have been borne by the taxpayers (bailout) and the victims and their families (lives and livelihoods lost).

Time to put everyone's feet to the same fire. Let the airlines bear the costs, let incompetent FBI middle managers lose their jobs. The system of incentives works, especially negative ones. If the airline industry goes bust, well, that's part of the marketplace working, too. I'm sure the well-run (and secure ones) will survive, and thrive by virtue of the extra market share and revenue.

[harpseal]

airport security is at best a very sick joke. The fact that the passengers are ready to rise up and resist any takeover attempt is the only security system that is doing anything to keep planes from being turned into cruise missles once more. However, The lawsuit of the survivors of a man who was killed by passengers as he was trying to force his way into the cockpit will do a lot to discourage this. The only thing that does anything to prevent an armed incursion into the gate area is that there are at least some armed security forces such a national guard and police. If one goes to a Federal building in a city like New Haven, CT unarmed security guards are very concerned about getting one to empty one's pockets. but if somone produced a firearm when asked to empty their posckets there would not be a single thing these pretty uniforms with no sidearms could do except die. I had the wondertful experience of having to go visit the IRS this week on my way home from work. The capability of the secuirty guards at Federal buildings is not even up to McDonald's standards.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[CJ Wolf]

they took my dads corkscrew. He is over 70 and walks with a limp...but could still kill you with his thumb. They didn't take his thumb though.

It is sick

[CJ Wolf]

I said "Can do", They said nope get back in line, pay your taxes and go shopping.

[pawdoggie]

And how do we get REAL conservatives to undo the damage being done by totalitarians masquerading as conservatives.

Start by getting a grip, like the man said, "The Constitution is not a suicide pact." There'll be plenty of time to quibble about which liberties (as opposed to inalienable rights) we just can't live without once the storm's passed.

[sneakypete]

It is the responsibility of conservatives to CONSERVE our liberties and our heritage.

That was MY understanding,too. Unfortunately,this gets in the way of Bubba-2 being reelected,and his nephew being elected in the future. Let's also not forget that other elites need a job,too. Giddy Dolt,for example.

What's going on in airports now would never have been tolerated by previous generations of Americans.

OR even by this generation of "conservatives" if the previous administration had been the ones pulling this "Office of Reich Security" and "Patriot's Act" BS. Since it is Bubba Bush doing it and he is a alleged Republican,it is all just peachy-keen.

There would literally be blood shed over it.

Eventually there will be.