No country has better airport security than Israel — and no country needs it more, since Israel is the most hated target of Islamic extremist terrorists. Yet, somehow, Israeli airport-security people don’t have to strip passengers naked electronically or feel strangers’ private parts.
Does anyone seriously believe that we have better airport security than Israel? Is our security record better than theirs?
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“Security” may be the excuse being offered for the outrageous things being done to American air travelers, but the heavy-handed arrogance and contempt for ordinary people that are the hallmark of this administration in other areas are all too painfully apparent in these new and invasive airport procedures.
Can you remember a time when a cabinet member in a free America boasted of having his “foot on the neck” of some business or when the president of the United States threatened on television to put his foot on another part of some citizens’ anatomy?
Yet this and more has happened in the current administration, which is not yet two years old. One cabinet member warned that there would be “zero tolerance” for “misinformation” when an insurance company said the obvious: that the mandates of Obamacare would raise costs and therefore raise premiums. Zero tolerance for exercising the First Amendment right of free speech?
More than two centuries ago, Edmund Burke warned about the dangers of new people with new power. This administration, only halfway through its term, has demonstrated those dangers in many ways.
What other administration has had an attorney general call the American people “cowards”? And refuse to call terrorists Islamic? What other administration has had a secretary of Homeland Security warn law-enforcement officials across the country of security threats from people who oppose abortion, support federalism, or are returning military veterans?
If anything good comes out of the “airport-security” outrages, it may be in opening the eyes of more people to the utter contempt that this administration has for the American people.
Those who made excuses for Barack Obama — for the candidate’s long years of alliances with, and for the president’s appointment of people with a record of antipathy to American interests and values — may finally get it when they feel some stranger’s hand in their crotch.
As for the excuse of “security,” this is one of the least security-minded administrations in American history. When hundreds of illegal immigrants from terrorist-sponsoring countries are captured crossing the border from Mexico — and then released on their own recognizance within the United States, that tells you all you need to know about this administration’s concern for security.
When captured terrorists who are not covered by either the Geneva Convention or the Constitution of the United States are nevertheless put on trial in American civilian courts by Obama’s Justice Department, that too tells you all you need to know about how concerned they are about national security.
The rules of criminal justice in American courts were not designed for trying terrorists. For one thing, revealing the evidence against them can reveal how our intelligence services got wind of them in the first place, and thereby endanger the lives of people who helped us nab them.
Not a lot of people in other countries, or perhaps even in this country, are going to help us stop terrorists if their role will be revealed and their families exposed to revenge by the terrorists’ bloodthirsty comrades.
What do the Israeli airport-security people do that American airport-security people do not do? They profile. They question some individuals for more than half an hour, open up all their luggage, and spread the contents on the counter — and they let others go through with scarcely a word. And it works.
Meanwhile, this administration is so hung up on political correctness that they have turned “profiling” into a bugaboo. They would rather have electronic scanners look under the clothes of nuns than detain a jihadist imam for some questioning.
Will America be undermined from within by an administration obsessed with political correctness and intoxicated with the adolescent thrill of exercising its new-found powers? Stay tuned.
But if we give up reliance on complex mechanical devices, and rely instead on competent personnel, won't this have a negative effect on Mr. Chertoff's net worth?
Just so, Mr Sowell. But let's not forget that the moral cowardice started shortly after 9/11, when President Bush (for whom I voted) blathered on about the "Religion of Peace." And, as in the current administration, profiling was verboten.
Political correctness resides in both political parties.
By the way: how security minded is any administration (Bush or Obama)that frisks Americans in airports but allows essentially open borders with Mexico, a failing narco-state?
So is the Obama Administration a difference in degree or a difference in kind from the GWB administration? It is certainly a difference in degree, which is not to let Mr. Bush off the hook.
Here's a rule as to how American Politics works: whatever the Republicans do that is stupid or corrupt or evil, the Democrats will view that as permission to do the same -- and ramp it up by an order of magnitude. Putting it somewhat more concretely: the Republicans (under Bush I!) gave us Ruby Ridge, the Democrats (under Clinton, that "nice man") gave us Waco.
However, I believe the great Thomas Sowell's point was somewhat different and I will phrase it thusly: will the next administration have the courage to use the Isreali model? You tell me.
As an airline pilot, I view the current "security" policies with utter contempt and find it amazing that any person in a position of authority would approve of them.
Treat everyone as guilty despite the cold hard fact that we know EXACTLY who and what to look for, and then deliberately close our eyes to them in the name of mind-rot political correctness. With the wonderful side effect of making flying less appealing for the lawful, paying passengers.
As a bonus, borrow money--with interest--from our best buddy China so the government can buy unneeded full-body scanners from companies lobbied for and owned by former government officials.
All those interested in seeing sanity restored on the issue of air travel security are waiting patiently for that magic moment when someone politically larger than ourselves opens up and says, "just a minute, something ain't right about this".
When that time comes, maybe then we can move into a common sense approach of practicing "Criminal Profiling" as in understanding and watching for criminal behavior.
Some questions: are our cockpit doors locked and secured? Have they been shored up to resist a boot? Do our pilots posses guns to end the life of anyone rushing the cockpit to take the plane? This needs to be done before anything else.
Next, we have the venerable "no fly" list and we are constantly adding individuals to this list. When they show up at the airports, detain their ass. Question the hell out of them. Confirm their intentions. Are we doing this? If not, why not?
Lastly, those of us who do fly frequently and have metal in our bodies that force the alarms to go off need a pass. Consider a retina scanner that knows who I am. I'm for it if it lets me by without all the stupid knee jerk reactions to medical metal in my body. Others have their considerations that need to be flagged and allowed. I hold a carry conceal permit, have a spotless, zero incident criminal record and have been finger printed at the State and National level. Where are the inquiries into those records? Does it even matter that my State and many States "trust me" with a loaded handgun under my clothing in all manner of public locations and I'm a criminal if I fail to remove my finger nail clippers or 1" pen knife from my luggage? Where's the sense in any of that? Of any of this delusion the TSA wants us to believe is necessary.
America, wake up and remember your rights, your voice and your determination to restore your dignity.
The problem of airport security is one in which both Republican and Democrat administrations have failed. However, it seems that the current administration could not care less if the American public is uneasy with their latest effort to take away our 4th Amendment rights. It also seems that those who are responsible for our security are always at least one step behind the terrorists, and with the airport security procedures, we have allowed the terrorist to win because they have managed to change the way we do things.
The worst part of all this, and I don't understand why no one is talking about this, is that the people who have caused these changes are people who were coming into the US from other countries. Are those other countries using X-Ray machines or frisking people? More than likely the answer is: NO.
On top of all this, it is the Muslims who will get a waiver from the government to not have to go through this type of screening. So, why are the rest of us being subjected to it? Because the government needs to make it LOOK like they're doing all they can to keep us safe, while all they're doing is taking away more of our rights. Why is no one telling the American people that the muslims - those who have killed Americans and continue trying to kill more of us - are the only people that get a free pass? Is that profiling? Well, yes, but it's the kind of profiling that the Muslims will tolerate. Heaven knows that it's okay to inconvenience the American public because we will grumble but take it for the sake of "security," but you can't inconvenience Muslims because they will see it as a disrespect of their religion, and who knows what they'll do.
The Israeli approach would, sadly, not work here imo. TSA is run like the post office, when it needs to be run by an intellgence agency -- which will never happen with the current crew.
The minimum wage TSA workers are not hired for their understanding of human nature (to catch telling clues of who is up to no good), and without that capability, TSA will fail.
I visited Israel some years ago and admired the entire security procedure. A small group of us was travelling for a short vacation. Most of us were Caucasian-Americans; one was of Pakistani heritage. Our small group was swarmed by Israeli intelligence (or whatever they call their TSA), but quietly and without alarm or rudeness. Some quick photos were taken as we walked through the gate area, not impeding our progress, a few questions were asked about why we were there (leisure), where we were staying (X Hotel), who we were meeting (no one). Entirely reasonable.
On leaving a few days later, my aluminum frame backpack was entirely unpacked, politely. The agent looked me in the eye and asked me a few quiet questions, watching closely for my reactions. One thing I had forgotten: I had picked up a spent Israeli army rifle shell off the ground, wrapped it in a travel brochure and stuffed into a side pocket of my backpack. It was found, unwrapped, glanced at, rewrapped and replaced without comment ... and sits on my bookshelf to this day as a reminder of the good sense shown in vetting the passengers instead of molesting us mindlessly.
The TSA is not capable of Israeli-style security. Next idea?
Mr. Sowell thanks for being bold enough to state the obvious truth. I am worried about my country and the direction it is headed in. You are a well respected voice of reason.
I know there are people that decide not to buy airline tickets because it is too invasive because I am one of them. You can tell the airlines are hurting because of the discounted pricing I see.
Maybe this will help Amtrak and bus travel? Free market forces Obama ignores.
BTW 'jamievic' has a good point. Wouldn't it be interesting to grow beard, disguise myself with Islamic clothing and go through a few airports then write an article! Anybody heard of anyone doing this? Let me know.
