Our Airport Security Policies Are So Stupid

 I heard yesterday that there was some sort of incident on an airplane traveling from The Netherlands to the United States, and of course, it's got the media and government all up in arms. A Nigerian man with alleged connections with al Qaeda! Oh my! RED ALERT!!

On Friday, Abdulmutallab, 23, was subdued by passengers and crew members onboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 after he allegedly ignited an explosive device that set afire his pants leg and part of the airplane during preparations to land in Detroit.

The incident marks the latest apparent attempt by terrorists to bring down a U.S. aircraft through the use of an improvised weapon, and set in motion urgent security measures that disrupted global air travel during the frenetic holiday weekend.
 --------
The suspect allegedly told FBI agents after his arrest that he had received training and explosive materials from al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Yemen, a claim that U.S. law enforcement officials were still attempting to verify Saturday. The FBI said the device strapped to Abdulmutallab contained PETN, or pentaerythritol, which is the same plastic explosive used by al-Qaeda operative Richard C. Reid in his December 2001 attempt to destroy a U.S.-bound airliner by igniting a homemade bomb in his shoe.

So of course, we can't view this as one idiotic amateur who used a tiny charge of explosive to burn his pants. We could only hope that all future terrorists are as competent as this one, but of course we now have to watch the federal government overreact to this singular, failed incident. Note how the TSA didn't stop this incident - nor did the intelligence community or the infamous watch lists. It was a single passenger who stopped the amateur from doing any damage to the plane. So what's the solution? Treat every passenger coming into the United States on an international flight as if he or she were an international terrorist.

TSA says that there won't be any effects on domestic travel, but you really have to wonder. At the least, the security lines will be longer, people who are traveling will be more paranoid and accusatory, and bin Laden will be laughing for a good long time at the overreaction this amateur terrorist caused us. You have to wonder, why can't we have intelligent policy on air travel? It's hard to believe, but I think we might have been safer when airport security was handled by the airports and not by the federal government.

Of course, the real assholes in this drama are the politicians who ran to the television forums to trumpet their philosophies. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), running for governor next year, tells Faux News, "The threat to the United States is real. I think this administration has downplayed it." Ironically, he ignores the fact that the massive security system that CheneyBush put together is the thing that failed here. And better yet, he spills the background on Abdulmutallab to the public so that everyone can understand exactly how and where the current security system failed. Hey, thanks Pete! I know I'll feel safer flying now that you've told al Qaeda how to improve their process.

Comments

[NVH]

You and I both know it wasn't Bush Cheney that made the TSA what it was, it was those DHS / TSA FAA idiots running it without consulting others about the best way to go about it that did it. Bush Cheney didn't micromanage DHS into the cesspool of bureaucracy that it is, they just put it in place and let the wrong people lead it. Which I might add hasn't really changed with your new guy keeping things status quo. I mean Napolitano is back tracking for the airline industry so they don't need a bailout in the next year because some guy condom wrapped his cock in semtex and decided it would be a neat idea to set it on fire. Look J, I'm which you, but when you start delving into past admins faults to this level it just shows your leanings are too far left for good taste, which I know you try to avoid best you can. Sure the repubs are going to take hits on Obama for this, welcome to politics, smart people know they are wrong, what would be nice is if those smart people in Congress would come out and say it's the TSA STUPID, and we just might get that from some democrats who take their head out of Obama's ass long enough to comment. Good luck. See you in 2012.

[J.]

"Bush Cheney didn't micromanage DHS into the cesspool of bureaucracy that it is, they just put it in place and let the wrong people lead it. "

I wonder if you don't see the irony of your comment. Politics is inherent in every defense discussion. If the Repubs block the nomination of a new TSA director - as they have - then they ought to take responsibility for the lack of leadership there. If the Repubs take shots at the current administration for DHS/TSA, then the public ought to be told that it was CheneyBush-appointed officials who created the mess "and let the wrong people lead it."

I don't particularly like the DHS/TSA practices, they are still playing off the old administration's book, but what I dislike more is the reflexive "oh let's ban all syringes and stop people from using airplane restrooms" security theater (TSA STUPID) and what I dislike the most are politicians who think it's their job to stand on a soapbox and point fingers while lieing out their ass. And I don't see any Dems doing that in this case.