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Whether we like it or not terrorists have shown a deep attraction to use airplanes as instruments of terror. And therefore we're going to have higher levels of

Whether we like it or not terrorists have shown a deep attraction to use airplanes as instruments of terror. And therefore we're going to have higher levels of security on air travel than we like. And that that security is likely to be managed by people who are newly recruited and poorly to middling in terms of compensation. I'm not sure if this outcome was fair but what is apparent is that he triggered multiple events. Watch, boots, shirt etc. It legitimately has the feeling of a "dry run" - enough at least to warrant being scrutinized. Not sure why he ends up in jail though.

mikeash 14y ago
Why is that "therefore" in there? Even if we let terrorists blow up one airliner every year, air travel would still be the safest mode of transport available. In addition, the security we have now is atrocious in terms of its effectiveness, so we could have security that's makes us safer while being substantially less obtrusive. I don't understand why people ever defend the TSA at all. They not only make the experience of air travel fairly horrible, but they don't even keep us safe! I could understand defending them if you were afraid and they kept the bad guys away, but they don't even do that.
Daniel_Newby 14y ago
> Whether we like it or not terrorists have shown a deep attraction to use airplanes as instruments of terror. American society is currently going through a raving paranoia phase. This is not about terrorists, it is about the public getting off on wallowing in fear. Hence the TSA, Department of Homeland Security, Amber Alerts, escalating the War on Drugs, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, zero tolerance everything, transparent backpacks and metal detectors for schoolchildren, hysterical panics about the supposed dangers of immunizations of all things, and so forth. We have met the enemy and he is us. Bin Laden's genius was to realize this and trick us into defeating ourselves in detail. Fortunately for us he chose something relatively harmless like the 9-11 attacks. Imagine if he had arranged for Al Qaeda to be caught sneaking iodide and omega-3 fats into every major baby food factory. We'd now be defiantly raising a generation of retards to show those ragheads who's boss.
- SoftwareMaven 14y ago
  We'd now be defiantly raising a generation of retards to show those ragheads who's boss. We seem to have that covered without their help.

mikeash 14y ago

Why is that "therefore" in there? Even if we let terrorists blow up one airliner every year, air travel would still be the safest mode of transport available. In addition, the security we have now is atrocious in terms of its effectiveness, so we could have security that's makes us safer while being substantially less obtrusive. I don't understand why people ever defend the TSA at all. They not only make the experience of air travel fairly horrible, but they don't even keep us safe! I could understand defending them if you were afraid and they kept the bad guys away, but they don't even do that.

Daniel_Newby 14y ago

> Whether we like it or not terrorists have shown a deep attraction to use airplanes as instruments of terror. American society is currently going through a raving paranoia phase. This is not about terrorists, it is about the public getting off on wallowing in fear. Hence the TSA, Department of Homeland Security, Amber Alerts, escalating the War on Drugs, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, zero tolerance everything, transparent backpacks and metal detectors for schoolchildren, hysterical panics about the supposed dangers of immunizations of all things, and so forth. We have met the enemy and he is us. Bin Laden's genius was to realize this and trick us into defeating ourselves in detail. Fortunately for us he chose something relatively harmless like the 9-11 attacks. Imagine if he had arranged for Al Qaeda to be caught sneaking iodide and omega-3 fats into every major baby food factory. We'd now be defiantly raising a generation of retards to show those ragheads who's boss.

SoftwareMaven 14y ago
We'd now be defiantly raising a generation of retards to show those ragheads who's boss. We seem to have that covered without their help.