Wasn't federalizing airport security supposed to make us SAFER?
According to USA Today:
"Undercover investigators were able to sneak explosives and weapons past security screeners at 15 airports nationwide, according to a government report on aviation security.
"The government watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security, Clark Kent Ervin, delivered the results of the tests in a classified report to members of Congress. 'The performance was poor,' said Ervin, the department's inspector general, in releasing a less detailed version Wednesday.
"The tests were done during the second half of 2003. But they highlight ongoing vulnerabilities in the nation's aviation security system, particularly in detecting explosives such as those that Russian authorities say were used to bring down two airliners last month."
Didn't the federal government take over airport security screening from the private sector three years ago on precisely the premise that the latter was "negligent" and "didn't take it seriously" enough? And weren't there a few lonely, isolated voices in the wilderness - mine among them - who predicted that far from being a solution, this so-called "fix" would only degrade airport security further by replacing "cost-cutting subcontractors" with bored, diffident, incompetent public sector drones?
If I had a buck for every time I've said "See, I told you so," I could make an offer on one of John Kerry's...well, I was going to say "Gulfstream jets," but "custom-made, lighter-than-goose-down, bazillion-speed bicycles" is probably closer to the truth.
Besides, I could use the exercise.
"Undercover investigators were able to sneak explosives and weapons past security screeners at 15 airports nationwide, according to a government report on aviation security.
"The government watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security, Clark Kent Ervin, delivered the results of the tests in a classified report to members of Congress. 'The performance was poor,' said Ervin, the department's inspector general, in releasing a less detailed version Wednesday.
"The tests were done during the second half of 2003. But they highlight ongoing vulnerabilities in the nation's aviation security system, particularly in detecting explosives such as those that Russian authorities say were used to bring down two airliners last month."
Didn't the federal government take over airport security screening from the private sector three years ago on precisely the premise that the latter was "negligent" and "didn't take it seriously" enough? And weren't there a few lonely, isolated voices in the wilderness - mine among them - who predicted that far from being a solution, this so-called "fix" would only degrade airport security further by replacing "cost-cutting subcontractors" with bored, diffident, incompetent public sector drones?
If I had a buck for every time I've said "See, I told you so," I could make an offer on one of John Kerry's...well, I was going to say "Gulfstream jets," but "custom-made, lighter-than-goose-down, bazillion-speed bicycles" is probably closer to the truth.
Besides, I could use the exercise.
posted by JASmius at 8:01 PM
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