New airport security measures

WNB · 12-02-2005, 06:45 PM

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1366272

Quote:

Air-Travel Screening to Change Dec. 22

By LESLIE MILLER Associated Press Writer

Airline passengers soon will be allowed to take small scissors and screwdrivers aboard planes again, Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley announced Friday.

Hawley said the change will take effect Dec. 22 and is part of a broader effort aimed at having screeners spend more of their time searching for explosives rather than small, sharp objects that don't pose as great a risk. The small implements were banned after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Under the new plan, more passengers will be subjected to secondary screening and pat-downs will include the arms and legs as well as the torso. Passengers also can expect more randomness at security gates so would-be terrorists won't know for sure what they will see.

For example, an airport might require all passengers to remove their shoes one day but not the next. Some passengers may have to show their identification an extra time or have their carry-on bag hand-searched.

"By incorporating unpredictability into our procedures and eliminating low-threat items, we can better focus our efforts on stopping individuals who wish to do us harm," Hawley said.

Among the items no longer prohibited from airliner cabins: scissors 4 inches or less, and tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers that are smaller than 7 inches. Box-cutters and small knives will remain on the list of banned items.

The White House approved the plan, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We support the decision that they have come to," he said.

But flight attendants and some lawmakers say the changes undermine security.

"I have not spoken to a flight attendant at any airline that isn't outraged by this," said Thom McDaniel, president of Southwest Airlines flight attendants' union, Transport Workers Local 556. "They want to focus more on explosives, but they're not even mentioning that the biggest threat to commercial aviation right now is still the fact that most cargo is not screened."

Reps. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., said Thursday they intend to introduce a bill to preserve the current list of items barred from the cabin.

"The Bush administration proposal is just asking the next Mohamed Atta to move from box cutters to scissors as the weapon that's used in the passenger cabin of planes," Markey said, referring to the leader of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Justin Green is an attorney for the families of three flight attendants who died aboard American Airlines Flight 11, which hijackers crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11. Two of the flight attendants, Bobbi Arestegui and Karen Martin, were stabbed by the terrorists. The third, Betty Ong, reported what was happening during the hijacking in a telephone call to authorities on the ground.

"The families are outraged that the TSA is planning on letting weapons back on board," Green said.

Airlines generally support Hawley's plan. So does the pilots' largest union, the Air Line Pilots Association.

Bob Hesselbein, the union's national security committee chairman, said pilots think it's more important to focus on passengers' intent rather than what they're carrying.

"A Swiss army knife in the briefcase of a frequent flyer we know very well is a tool," Hesselbein said. "A ballpoint pen in the hands of a terrorist is a weapon."

TSA screeners this year alone have confiscated 12.6 million prohibited items, including 3 million sharp objects, according to the Homeland Security Department.

They've also taken away 8.1 million lighters, the only item prohibited by law. Congress, concerned that terrorists would have an easier time igniting a bomb with a lighter than with matches, enacted the ban. It took effect April 14.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation Committee's aviation panel, agrees with Hawley that screeners should be looking for explosives rather than small, sharp objects that could be used as weapons.

"You have a huge army of pilots that are now armed, you have significant numbers of federal air marshals, you have secure cockpit doors, you have an alert public," Mica said. "Terrorists aren't dumb, they can see what the weakness in the system is."

More than 18,000 screeners have been trained on advanced explosives detection techniques, Mica said.

But Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee's aviation panel, objected to the policy shift. In a letter to Hawley, she wrote that the change "could undermine the progress we have made in securing our skies since the 9/11 attacks. Security demands vigilance; we cannot become complacent."

What I don't understand is how any of these new measures will actually help identify explosives. How is giving patdowns to more people or randomly requiring shoe removal going to help? Unless they start giving full cavity searches, there's always someplace a terrorist can stash some C4.

Also, the first TSA employee to give me a handjob in the name of security is getting a kick to the groin.

Buzzby · 12-02-2005, 09:44 PM

Why are we always preparing to fight the last war? Beefing up airport security will simply direct terrorists to direct their efforts elsewhere. I'd much rather be in a plane in which the passengers all have means of defeating terrorists rather than one in which the terrorists have all the advantages. The TSA would be much better off looking for explosives rather than confiscating people's pen knives.

Niteshift · 12-03-2005, 12:24 AM

What I don't understand is how any of these new measures will actually help identify explosives. How is giving patdowns to more people or randomly requiring shoe removal going to help?

The theory is that they will be spending their time on the searches etc, not doing something less productive like ridding the skies of nail clippers.

I think some of the security measures are idiotic. I also think some of the proposed exceptions are idiotic. I posted a thread about this a while ago. Among the proposed exceptions: ice picks, bows and arrows. WTF do you need an ice pick for? Can you fit that bow and arrows in that little box to test carryon size? (I know you can take a bow down. But there is still bulk and most arrows don't take apart)

I'm all for good security. And I'll accept reasonable inconveniences. But I have problems with measures that make no sense or things that are just there for the sake of being there.

Higher Logic · 12-03-2005, 05:21 AM

I recently read that they are allowing saws now, but not scissors

Niteshift · 12-03-2005, 09:56 PM

Scissors will be allowed.

And WTF does someone need a saw on a plane for? I know some of the food is overcooked, but damn.........

Higher Logic · 12-03-2005, 11:07 PM

Yeah, it's really quite silly. You have to wonder who these people are that sit around in a room full of suits and say, "hey, I think it would be swell if we let people have saws" and some other guy says, "ya know, bob, that is a swell idea, but let's take away scissors," while some idiot in the corner says, "yeah, yeah, and bows and staffs are allowed too!"

I wanna know what they are smoking

12-02-2005, 09:44 PM	#2
Buzzby Buddhist Curmudgeon Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 16,796 Grams: 91,121.37 Thanks: 995 Thanked 6,788 Times in 3,136 Posts Stock Portfolio Total Value: 0.000 Gain/Loss: 0.000%	Why are we always preparing to fight the last war? Beefing up airport security will simply direct terrorists to direct their efforts elsewhere. I'd much rather be in a plane in which the passengers all have means of defeating terrorists rather than one in which the terrorists have all the advantages. The TSA would be much better off looking for explosives rather than confiscating people's pen knives. __________________ 60% of the people of America now say we are heading toward a depression. Not a recession, a depression. We are in desperate need of profitable industries that we can tax. Um... Now can we legalize pot? ~ Bill Maher Theocracy Watch

12-03-2005, 12:24 AM	#3
Niteshift L.E.O. in Good Standing Join Date: Dec 2000 Posts: 6,432 Grams: 5,323.12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 12 Times in 6 Posts Stock Portfolio Total Value: 0.000 Gain/Loss: 0.000%	What I don't understand is how any of these new measures will actually help identify explosives. How is giving patdowns to more people or randomly requiring shoe removal going to help? The theory is that they will be spending their time on the searches etc, not doing something less productive like ridding the skies of nail clippers. I think some of the security measures are idiotic. I also think some of the proposed exceptions are idiotic. I posted a thread about this a while ago. Among the proposed exceptions: ice picks, bows and arrows. WTF do you need an ice pick for? Can you fit that bow and arrows in that little box to test carryon size? (I know you can take a bow down. But there is still bulk and most arrows don't take apart) I'm all for good security. And I'll accept reasonable inconveniences. But I have problems with measures that make no sense or things that are just there for the sake of being there. __________________ A burning desire for social justice is never a substitute for knowing what you're talking about. -Thomas Sowell Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is muzzle flash.

12-03-2005, 05:21 AM	#4
Higher Logic Web Developer Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 6,119 Grams: 8,693.68 Thanks: 2 Thanked 90 Times in 45 Posts Stock Portfolio Total Value: 0.000 Gain/Loss: 0.000%	I recently read that they are allowing saws now, but not scissors __________________ Crucial Web Hosting · Garden's Cure · Marijuana Recipes · Drug Testing Facts Dilution · Substitution · Urine Testing · Hair Testing · Drug Testing FAQ

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