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Really, I don't think anyone needs the government to tell us that keeping bombers off planes makes us safer. That's not kool-aid, that's common sense. I don't think any of us are so stupid that we think that after 9-11, that terrorists won't try to blow up planes again, and if any of us are that stupid, then maybe the shoe bomber and the underwear bomber would remedy that stupidity. The facts are quite simple, the better our security measures, the better chance we all have of flying safely. I don't want to fly without knowing that everything that could be done has been done to assure my safety. And what I find ridiculous is that many of the people who are so outraged about pat-downs are the same people who think profiling is the right thing to do. Because when you are talking about infringements in Germany, you might think long and hard about how profiling was used to accomplish those infringements.
I still want to see the forensic evidence on the underware bomber's luggage.
Really, I don't think anyone needs the government to tell us that keeping bombers off planes makes us safer. That's not kool-aid, that's common sense. I don't think any of us are so stupid that we think that after 9-11, that terrorists won't try to blow up planes again, and if any of us are that stupid, then maybe the shoe bomber and the underwear bomber would remedy that stupidity. The facts are quite simple, the better our security measures, the better chance we all have of flying safely. I don't want to fly without knowing that everything that could be done has been done to assure my safety. And what I find ridiculous is that many of the people who are so outraged about pat-downs are the same people who think profiling is the right thing to do. Because when you are talking about infringements in Germany, you might think long and hard about how profiling was used to accomplish those infringements.
If you believe that these procedures will keep you safer, why the hell did they wait so long to implement them & why do we did we do nothing to control entry via our borders?
BTW I do think what Janet Napolitano is currently suggesting as 'big sis' is another step towards "safety".
Really, I don't think anyone needs the government to tell us that keeping bombers off planes makes us safer. That's not kool-aid, that's common sense. I don't think any of us are so stupid that we think that after 9-11, that terrorists won't try to blow up planes again,
You missed the boat entirely on this one...the terrorists who orchestrated 9-11 are alive and well and holding powerful positions in this country. 9-11 made it possible for them to scare people into giving up their rights and following like sheep. It is absolutely kool-aid, and you are drinking it right down. This is not about safety, it is about control, and it is a test to see just how far they can take it.
If you believe that these procedures will keep you safer, why the hell did they wait so long to implement them & why do we did we do nothing to control entry via our borders?
BTW I do think what Janet Napolitano is currently suggesting as 'big sis' is another step towards "safety".
They wait so long to implement them because the security policies of our country are largely reactive, rather than proactive. That's not a valid argument for doing away with security policies altogether. Nor is it a valid argument against the TSA to point out the inadequacies of our border controls. Nor is the argument about what other countries are doing to prevent terrorists from boarding planes. The only valid argument against security policies revolves around whether they are effective or not and whether their efficacy merits the personal intrusion. And since we are talking about deterring terrorists, we don't have any statistical means of measuring how many terrorists have been deterred. We only can point to the remarkable safety record domestic travel in the US has had. It is a matter of time before a determined soul manages to get around our security measures and brings down another plane. We all know that. But in the meantime, we are all free to choose a method of travel that involves an intrusion into our privacy, or a method of travel that does not. We're still free. We're still able to travel. The airlines are private companies. No one has a "right" to board the planes of these private companies. The fact that they serve a public function doesn't mean that any "rights" are granted to the public. The public purchases accomodations on aircraft, and when they do so, they agree to abide by certain restrictions. Some of those restrictions are imposed by the government and not the airlines, but really, that doesn't make any difference in terms of "rights".
You missed the boat entirely on this one...the terrorists who orchestrated 9-11 are alive and well and holding powerful positions in this country. 9-11 made it possible for them to scare people into giving up their rights and following like sheep. It is absolutely kool-aid, and you are drinking it right down. This is not about safety, it is about control, and it is a test to see just how far they can take it.
DHS does reactionary changes. The underwear bomber was last Christmas folks.
ONE YEAR later the DHS/TSA is caught up.
The terrorists will always be one step ahead.
They are now putting bombs in printer toner and sending via FedEx.
And then there are people like this one that don't mind being hand searched.
He grasped me firmly but gently just above my elbow and guided me
into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone.
He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear.
"Just relax."
Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused
hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my
calves slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew I
should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so
experienced, so sure.
When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and
partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing
fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm,
full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply.
Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid
them down my tingling spine and into my panties.
Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and
expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge.
A man not used to taking no for an answer. A man who would tell me
what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say ...
"Okay, ma'am," he said. "All done."
My eyes snapped open and he was standing in front of me, smiling, holding out my purse.
"You can board your flight now."
This comes from the blog called Dirty Old Cripple.
And then there are people like this one that don't mind being hand searched.
He grasped me firmly but gently just above my elbow and guided me
into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone.
He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear.
"Just relax."
Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused
hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my
calves slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew I
should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so
experienced, so sure.
When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and
partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing
fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm,
full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply.
Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid
them down my tingling spine and into my panties.
Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and
expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge.
A man not used to taking no for an answer. A man who would tell me
what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say ...
"Okay, ma'am," he said. "All done."
My eyes snapped open and he was standing in front of me, smiling, holding out my purse.
"You can board your flight now."
This comes from the blog called Dirty Old Cripple.
I respect everyone's viewpoint when it comes to being patted down by the TSA, but I find it interesting how people who are outraged are focused on their personal right to fly, but seem uninterested in other people's rights. I've been patted down by the TSA, it wasn't pleasant, but I wanted to fly, and I appreciated that the other passengers on the flight also wanted to fly to their destination, without being blown up or diverted because someone questionable got on the flight. I agree with many of you that the TSA measures probably would not deter a determined terrorist, but I think that the TSA measures do serve all of us in that they remind us, each and every time that we get on a flight, that we should not be complacent, that we all should be alert, that prospective terrorists are out there. If only for the heightened awareness that these patdowns and scans evoke, they do serve as a deterrent.
This is you swallowing the propaganda. The TSA has caught exactly zero terrists but there are terrorist at the airport with their blue gloves. How can you say its okay to limit my ability to travel because of a dog and pony show which means nothing? I would NOT allow myself to scanned by the xray machine as I do NOT believe it is "safe" and the TSA has never established it is even aside from the naked pictures. But I would stll have to have a "patdown" (another example of inaccurate wording--it is a sexual assualt). I suspect they'd have to "see" what they discover, medically and that WILL NOT HAPPEN. I will defend myself.
So why are my rights as a citizen of this country compromised so you can get a feel good experience and feel "secure" when all the airport workers come and go as for all you know are carrying in bombs? When does the rights of a *minority* (disabled people) become less important than yours?
When is it okay to dismiss concerns over health and open and direct violation of the constitution unless is is no longer America? Sure doesn't feel much like it to me.
What nations have justified limiting the rights of a minority for the greater good? That is what it feels like.
It this has come to trains before I get to take a trip I guess I won't see friends and relatives out of state again.
So if the TSA dropped all pat downs, x-rays and profiling and allowed everyone to travel unrestricted and then a plane carrying your family blows up, then who is to blame? Would you be crying for TSA blood?
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