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I've argued that the correct way to do airline safety is the way ElAl does it. The most salient argument against that is that the ElAl system will not scale. So

I've argued that the correct way to do airline safety is the way ElAl does it. The most salient argument against that is that the ElAl system will not scale. So let me get this straight, privacy stripping full body scanners and an army of ill-trained TSA agents is a more scalable solution? The current situation is untenable. I am incredibly concerned by the latest round of rights and liberty infringing actions by the government in the name of "security". If it is not "security" it is "children". What remains to be seen is whether or not the current solution is scaleable in the face of tremendous public outcry.

defen 16y ago
The El Al system also makes heavy use of profiling, which is politically untenable in the U.S., and agents who are smart/well-trained enough to make judgment calls on the ground. TSA contractors are currently paid so little that I doubt you're ever going to get much more than bottom of the barrel in terms of motivation, intelligence, and agreeableness.
- siculars 16y ago
  Isn't this all profiling? The public is subject to taking off their shoes because the powers that be profiled a threat vector from the shoe bomber. Replace shoes with razor blades, liquids, underwear and now toner cartridges. Since when did "profiling" become a dirty word? Perhaps when "racial" joined the party. I maintain that profiling is essential to ensuring our security when implemented sanely, rationally and with appropriate oversight. How about UPS and FedEx not shipping from Yemen. The entire country! Isn't that collective punishment? If we can not expect "agents who are smart/well-trained enough to make judgment calls" to implement security to know the good guys from the bad guys then we are well and truly fucked.
ghshephard 16y ago
It should also be noted, that when ElAl does decide to do a pat down as part of their security policy, it is not gentle. I know a couple people (men) who've gone through it, and even though they knew it was a possibility, they still came out of it quite shaken - it is the equivalent of a full-on civilian police search, and bears only a passing resemblance to what the TSA is doing. The difference is, of course, the TSA is subjecting everyone who opts out of the back scatter machine to their pat-down, whereas ElAl does so only to those they find suspicious.
- siculars 16y ago
  Oh yes, oh yes indeed. My quarrel is not so much with invasive searching but rather with blanket invasive searching of all citizens. If according to specific rules and specific guidelines a trained agent and her superior were to determine there was due cause for further screening then so be it. Abuse can be weeded out and consequent repercussions meted out by simple analytics on reports gathered on every 'enhanced' screening.

defen 16y ago

The El Al system also makes heavy use of profiling, which is politically untenable in the U.S., and agents who are smart/well-trained enough to make judgment calls on the ground. TSA contractors are currently paid so little that I doubt you're ever going to get much more than bottom of the barrel in terms of motivation, intelligence, and agreeableness.

siculars 16y ago
Isn't this all profiling? The public is subject to taking off their shoes because the powers that be profiled a threat vector from the shoe bomber. Replace shoes with razor blades, liquids, underwear and now toner cartridges. Since when did "profiling" become a dirty word? Perhaps when "racial" joined the party. I maintain that profiling is essential to ensuring our security when implemented sanely, rationally and with appropriate oversight. How about UPS and FedEx not shipping from Yemen. The entire country! Isn't that collective punishment? If we can not expect "agents who are smart/well-trained enough to make judgment calls" to implement security to know the good guys from the bad guys then we are well and truly fucked.

ghshephard 16y ago

It should also be noted, that when ElAl does decide to do a pat down as part of their security policy, it is not gentle. I know a couple people (men) who've gone through it, and even though they knew it was a possibility, they still came out of it quite shaken - it is the equivalent of a full-on civilian police search, and bears only a passing resemblance to what the TSA is doing. The difference is, of course, the TSA is subjecting everyone who opts out of the back scatter machine to their pat-down, whereas ElAl does so only to those they find suspicious.

siculars 16y ago
Oh yes, oh yes indeed. My quarrel is not so much with invasive searching but rather with blanket invasive searching of all citizens. If according to specific rules and specific guidelines a trained agent and her superior were to determine there was due cause for further screening then so be it. Abuse can be weeded out and consequent repercussions meted out by simple analytics on reports gathered on every 'enhanced' screening.