A Few Words On "Modern" Airport Security
Further to Amy Alkon's recent airport travel experience, there's a big elephant (read "truth") in the room that no one with the power to change things wants to address.
Put simply, if the entire process of getting a passenger from the front doors of the airport through to sitting down in their seat on an airplane had been thought through, designed by, and enforced by security PROFESSIONALS then we would have an efficient system that makes sense to everyone. Each step in the process would have a specific purpose and would be integrated with all the other steps.
But that's not what we have today, is it? Instead, we're burdened with a highly inefficient mishmash of separate processes, none of which seem to be integrated with each other. Anecdotal evidence suggests that what occurs at these airports was designed by committee; more likely by a series of different committees, all of whom don't communicate with each other effectively, if at all.
Rather than integrated, professional security, instead we have an overwhelming number of low wage staffers whose duties have been piled on top of one another in the hopes of providing a deterrence or more likely the appearance of deterrence.
This incredible incompetence is killing the productivity of travelers and ultimately is going to allow more than a few people to be killed. :-(
Here's a little insight into a place where they have used common sense & intelligence to implement their airport security. Some video here.
5 comments:
My man, be really careful of what you want the government to do in the name of security!
sovereignman.com/expat/how-to-avoid-living-in-a-police-state/
Of course there have to be limits! To see a perfect example of where government control can go far beyond reasonable limits, I highly recommend everyone see The Lives of Others.
All I'm talking about right now is COMPETENCE. I do not support your assertion that competent air travel security is a bad thing.
Hilariously, the "security" that I went through would not have weeded out the Panty Bomber.
Was it you who posted this link earlier, R.W?
http://www.stephankinsella.com/2010/01/08/if-you-know-this-woman-tell-her-that-she%E2%80%99s-naked-on-the-internet/
Their reassurances on the impersonal and anonymous nature of the scans is laughable.
Would you want YOUR 9 yr old daughter (or son) being checked out, after seeing the images at that link?
-DaninVan
Hi Dan,
I'd never seen that link before. Thanks for sharing.
So I have a sincere question for you: Now that terrorists have figured out a way to smuggle onto planes explosives that cannot be detected with previous methods, what is your solution to combat them?
Based on the fact that political correctness absolutely prevents profiling, I think there are 3 choices:
1. Everyone go through the body scanners.
2. Everyone be thoroughly patted down (though I question the effectiveness of this).
3. We do nothing new and take our chances with terrorists blowing up 'X' number of planes per year.
Perhaps you have a 4th idea?
Curious.
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