TSA, it is the Transportation Security Administration, the kiddie-cops at the airports. I'm sure mall cops make more.
If people resort to these measures to blow you up, what would you rather? and easy hastle free trip through the airport onto your plane, only to be blown up because nobody checked joe bloggs for explosives? or security that catches these people, and keeps you alive?
How about solving the problem the easy way, don't check anyone and we'll all be security. Really, if they didn't check people in the US, then you would not only have to be suicidal (which they are) to try to take over an airplane, you will also have a major pile of fail going down, because the American mentality is such that we'd rather crash the damn plane then let you succeed - and we're armed to the teeth if we need to be. I'd fly that airplane because I know terrorists are going to avoid it as if it was made from bacon.
And they've gone way beyond just checking for explosives, they are down to the component parts, and a lot of other stuff too. That whole you can't take more than four ounces of a liquid. See, part of the problem in this situation is that security is an illusion. You can't secure everyone, on every flight every time. In part that's because top scientists around the world have worked out all sorts of ways of making things explode that you can't detect. That's why, I'm sure, that I'm no longer allowed to bring my tools with me. It's not like I was going to whip out the Makita and start disassembling the plane mid flight, and its not like any of that electronic testing equipment is going to make a bomb, but they don't know that. They don't know much at all. However, I do know something (and lots of my fellows do to) if you check that bag your $1000 plus inventory of tools that you need to work is not going to be meeting you upon your arrival. Hell, I bet they are on E-Bay being sold before you get the 'meal.'
This last moron, who managed to pack their underwear with enough explosives to at least blow their own dick off (guess his 72 virgins are going to stay virgins) - so what, panty check for everyone now, like they did with the shoes? How about we make everyone fly naked?
In this world of high security and military technology, its one of the few ways to fight that.
Well if that's all you need to fight it, then the security ain't that high, and military technology ain't that powerful. And the more technology dependent they are (and they have to be because they can't hire the people who are capable of doing it, or they would not tolerate the methods) the LESS secure everyone becomes in the end. It would be remiss of me not to point out that the higher the levels of security, the less secure everyone seems to be, and in many cases, the less secure they actually are. Because the more people depend on technology, the less they depend on people, so the security people themselves no longer have to be vigilante, they don't have to be highly trained, the machine will take care of it.
I've worked in two different places that were very low tech security, we just depended on the people there, all of them, to pay attention. But, some Mister Manager (against my advice both times) went ahead and put in a CCTV system, and of course, hired someone who job it was to sit on their ever expanding ass and watch the damn thing. Now the workers, they knew what was up. They knew that the sum total of 'security' problems were very small, so what was that guy up there watching? Us of course. And, where once everyone was paying attention, as soon as the cameras went up everyone just seemed to think the cameras had it covered and they didn't have to bother anymore.
For over 30 years we kept the truck ramps out in the alley behind the dumpsters. They were not locked, they were not 'under surveillance' or any of that. And for 30 years they just sat there until we needed them. So when the new corp took over their 'security coordinator'* first made us lock up the ramps. Then they put a camera out there (really to keep people from sneaking their pals though the back door, but... But, locking the things up, and sticking the camera out there was just a neon sign that said "Something worth stealing is back here." So, after 30 years of no problems, one week - ONE WEEK - after all that went down, we showed up and the ramps were gone. Gotta love it.
* - and I for the life of me can't even figure out what security this dillweed is coordinating. We never see him at the shows, and ya know, when there is not a show the security concerns are low, its just an empty, or near empty building. Not that it's rocket science, but in a big nightclub the security problems tend to occur when you let the public in and turn the bars on. Duh. Oh yeah, he's not really security, he's a security coordinator, so far be it from him to actually be there when we have real problems, he might, you know, have to do like security work, and no doubt get his ass beat like a drum by some drunk.
They are the same professionals that perform strip searches now, dont imagine the first thing they will do is look at your genetals to 'find you out' or have a good perv....
For the life of me, I sure don't understand how anyone who is not a sexually deviant pervert would even do a job that would require strip searching people - with the attendant 'cavity check." A person with normal morality and normal sexual tendencies would be thinking right about that time that the barista job is looking pretty good after all.
