The TSA focuses too much on specific tactics and targets. This makes sense politically, but is a bad use of security resources. Think about the last eight years. We take away guns and knives, and the terrorists use box cutters. We confiscate box cutters and knitting needles, and they put explosives in their shoes. We screen shoes, and they use liquids. We take away liquids, and they'll do something else. This is a dumb game; the TSA should stop playing. Some screening is necessary to stop the crazy and the stupid, but it's not going to stop a professional terrorist attack. We don't need more and better screening; we need less. On the other hand, I like seeing the direction they're heading in terms of behavioral profiling, though we need to be careful. Done wrong, it's nothing more than stereotyping; but done right, it can be very effective. It needs more focus on people and less on objects. We can't manage to keep weapons out of prisons; we'll never keep them out of airports. Oh, and stop the ID checking—the notion that there is this master list of terrorists that we can check people off against is just plain silly.It's simply filled to the brim with basic, sensible ideas that you know will never see implementation, because they're too sensible:
Spending money on airport/airplane security only makes sense if the bad guys target airplanes. In general, money spent defending particular targets or tactics only makes sense if we can guess them correctly. If tactics and targets are scarce, defending against specific ones makes us safer. If tactics and targets are plentiful—as they are—it only forces the bad guys to pick new ones.More:
I believe that approximately two security improvements since 9/11 have made airplane travel safer: reinforcing the cockpit door, teaching passengers they have to fight back, and—maybe—sky marshals.The article also discusses the idiotic security measures that will be at the inauguration, that will pose a public safety hazard.
Sigh.
1 comment:
If you've read my blog, and I know you have, you know that I'm frequently all over the TSA for stupid and inconsistent policies on what things we can carry on planes. I know many people who have had items that are TSA approved confiscated at during screening.
There are really only two possible reasons for that. 1) TSA screeners don't know their own policies. 2) TSA screeners are thieves and steal items they want under the guise of "security threats".
I suppose that a mix is also possible.
The Israeli's seem to have this airline security thing down pretty good, but we don't seem to want to do what they do so we either have to find a different approach that works or change our minds on this.
Of course profiling is out because it's culturally insensitive or something.
Of course, if it were up to me, I'd let gun owners with CCW permits carry on flights, but that's probably way too radical.
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