Student Who Breached Airport Security To Be Charged

Frankly, I think 9-11 had nothing to do with airport security. As someone else (roger?) pointed out, and I think I did earlier in one of my rants, people who can hijack a plane with box cutters will find a way to hijack a plane without box cutters, too. It's really not a formidable weapon. Seems to me the solutions are 1) intelligence, which I realize is a enormous task that many fine minds are already on (though the administration diverting FBI resources into the absurd war on drugs sure can't help) and 2) security on the plane. Kid or no kid, that's the way I see it.

dog I think on the plane security is an extension of airport security. I also agree with the fact that once we build a better mousetrap someone builds a better mouse, but this is a question of focusing on the right thing.

and regardless of whatever is done ... someone will always have a problem.

We are now spending billions of dollars on transportation security. If most of this money is a big waste, why isn't anybody challenging this? I think I read someplace that all the airport security personnel now works for the federal government starting at a salary of over $42,000 a year. Doesn't make much sense to this tax payer.

IMO, he and others who have done similar things are heros of this moment. The Bush Government has given us a lot of lip flappage about making us secure, but invariably reduces the budgetary underpinnings. True security from terrorism cannot be done on the cheap. The Bush Government would have the public think that they can pay less taxes and get more, or even the same level of ervices from government. The truth is plainly otherwise.

When ABC news on two seperate occasions smuggled nuclear materials into the US, in both cases from foreign ports known to harbor terrorists, the administration wanted to punish them. But they have had to keep the cases quiet because it only reveals that their rhetoric is empty.

Similarly, there was no effort at all in the Iraq invasion to secure known nuclear materials, despite the fact that for nearly half a year there had been major propaganda about dirty bombs, how we could not allow these materials to fall into the wrong hands. Blah blah blah. It was more important to secure the oil wells, which we did immediately.

If someone is willing to take the personal legal risk to make graphic these things, they have my utmost respect.

Terrorists are just half the problem; the other half is a government without the fiscal will and intelligence (both meanings apply) to implement safeguards.

Tax breaks for Bush cronies will always come before spending to protect the public. ...seemingly will come before even providing educational and health services for Americans.

Americans need to see this. The young man did the right thing, and had the courage to face the consequences.

(Beedlesquoink steps down from soapbox)

What is interesting is that the congress just passed the 87 billion spending bill for Iraq, but they changed the wording to include that half of the reconstruction money of Iraq will be a loan that must be paid back to the US taxpayers. That's because a majority of republicans also voted for the bill. GWBush is now threatening to veto the bill, but he's between a rock and a hard place, because the American taxpayers will never agree with GWBush while our own benefits are being taken away.

I would ask this question. Does anyone actually believe in our open society, with long and relatively open borders, goods, services and people moving to and from our shores that a determined terrorist or terrorists cannot penetrate our shores and wreak havoc? I certainly do not. However, security systems are setup to make that as difficult as possible. Actions such as this test the systems, as well as the agencies and people charged with their maintenance. I should think the government would do well to recruit these people to continually test the systems, however under control and not free lance

agree completely au1929 with your assessment and if restaurants, deparment stores and grocery stores hire "secret shoppers" as a matter of course it can't possibly be so difficult for airlines and GWB's mighty team of experts...........or can it?

I think, for this topic, that is the best , most unemotionally tied response au1929. The precedent that is set by this kid is a possible template for truly random un announced security checking for all points of entry, not just departures at airports. True, it will probably only lessen the potential frequency of terrorist acts. However, this kid was merely a single monitor. what we need is a whole legion of agents who just love testing the states security, with an expected outcome that directs how security is best buttoned up.
However, I, like ci, think that it aint gonna happen in this administration. Theyre too busy covering up their own piles

go 'head on farmerman. another great post.

Amen.

(hmmm. now what should we plant on this little patch of common ground? a flower, or something edible? )

A bunny. I'm hungry.

two bunnies. i'm really hungry.

I dont like hare in my food

au, You have the right idea; it's impossible to protect our borders 100 percent from anything. It's not necessary for some stupid college student to prove that security is not all that great in the US. All he did was reinforce the idea that almost anybody with half an effort can penetrate our security system and do harm. Look at all the big containers that come into this country without any inspection. They'll hold a few nukes or chemical and biological weapons to almost any destination in the US.

AMEN! IMO, the only thing besides intel that will stop someone from bringing a weapon on a plane is the random check. Getting a knife on an airplane is child's play.



I import these containers, it'd be tricky to get in a nuke because of an x-ray of the container but a piece of cake to get many other things in. Since they can clear customs and the FDA inland (my containers are clearing in Chicago or Milwaukee right now) you can get contraband inland with little to no chance of any checking.

And even if they were checked it's pretty easy to circumvent if you know the logistics well.

I just changed my company's procedures to have the FDA inspect our product at our warehouse. For inspecting medical gloves (my commodity) it's safe as we have lot numbers that prevent us from foul play with the commodity we sell but if we wanted to sneak somthing else in it would be very very easy.

It was more than just box cutters. The way the plane was organized makes it easier to hijack. Israeli airlines (El-Al) have incredible security, and they have NEVER been hijacked. And this is the Middle-East. You're probably safer on a plane there than you are on a bus. The difference is that the government in America doesn't care enough to fund stuff like airline security, because all that matters is the bottom line.

Very true.



Not true, the Front for the Liberation of Palestine did precisely that.

That would have had to be pretty recently, wouldn't it? I hadn't heard. What did they do? It's still a lot more effective than American security, though.