Weighing in on the TSA

[arc_stormcrow]

I've flown a couple of times since 9/11 - from business day-trips to DC (TSA does *not* know how to handle RSA SecureID tokens) to days-long flights to Florida with 7 month-old in tow. I've been "lucky", in that I've been able to go through the regular metal detectors without too much problem. Others, not so much.

Comments

[madmanatw]

You left out one thing about blowing up planes, which is that they are still barely screening checked luggage, and they are not checking to make sure that the passenger has actually boarded the flight with the luggage. Cargo is the way to go, if you want to bring down a plane.

[arc_stormcrow]

Well, they x-ray luggage, which is a start. And if they find a bomb, they evac the site. Which creates a whole other mess. Good way to bring a travel hub to its knees.

But good point on the passenger/luggage disconnect.

[sistahraven]

Well said.

[marphod]

Closing the barn door after the cows have already Why change your targets? There are plenty of ways to bring down a plane without ever getting on the plane. Beyond simply checking something in as luggage (put it inside a laptop or desktop), there are hundreds of thousands surface to air missile systems in existence. Air force one might be equipped with flak, flares, and other defense mechanisms, but your average 747 or A380? Not so much.

Do it right, and your operative can still escape and live.

[arc_stormcrow]

> Why change your targets?

Depends on your goal. Is the airplane your target, or America? If you're a terrorist, the planes are a means to an end, a tool. Sure, hitting another plane proves you're resourceful, to sneak past the security - but why bother? Mission accomplished, really - we've dumped large amounts of money into airport security, given up freedoms, and have a fear culture. Hit the enemy where they least expect it. Damage the power grid, blow up the Golden Gate Bridge, something like that - kick off another tizzy, stretch the resources thinner. Couple of attacks like that, and you'll push the economy to the brink, while keeping the populace afraid. Show that you're out there, lurking, patient...

And really, that was the message of 9/11 - they caught us with our pants down. They can afford to wait, send the occasional shmuck to keep us on edge...then, while we're distracted, throw a sucker punch. That's why intel is so vital - it's not married to a specific threat or target.

[mshades]

I was thinking about the whole claim that the imaging images aren't saved, and that means the TSA are either liars or stupid. After all, if you catch a guy with some C4 strapped to his junk, you're going to want to detain him and strip-search him. I'm pretty sure you need some kind of probable cause to do that, and the best evidence you can bring up in court for PC is - drumroll - the image that was produced by the machine that made you suspicious in the first place!

If they actually can't save those images, then they're morons for eliminating a valuable piece of evidence against which they can build a case against a potential terrorist. If they can save images, then they're a bunch of lying liars.

On the topic of changing targets, how long until someone blows himself up at the check-in counter? Or at baggage claim? Huge loss of life, and at a big hub airport it could bring commercial aviation to a standstill.