After the failed attempt to blow up an aircraft on Christmas day, Janet Napolitano, the head of Homie Land Insecurity went before the news media to tell all of us that, "the system worked".
That statement of hers has set off a barrage of comments from all sorts of folks. The storm of protests and commentary even got her to retract that comment.
Well, it was very wrong of her to retract that statement. The system DID work. In fact it has worked exactly as it was set up to work.
How so you ask? Didn't this "mad bomber" board an aircraft headed to America while he was supposedly on a "watch list"?
Of course he was allowed to board that plane. And YES, the system worked just fine thank you.
The system worked in that now there will be more physical "pat downs" of all airline passengers. There will be countless billions spent for the full body scan machines. You have seen or heard of these new machines. They give the TSA folks something like the "x-ray eyes" that Superman has in the comics and the movies. These machines can see right through our clothes. The machines make it very difficult to hide any weapons or other contraband on our bodies. Loose clothes will no longer be a method to "fool" the TSA.
The time required to get through this new security will increase of course. No doubt passengers will now be required to arrive at the airport at least 3 or 4 hours before their flight is scheduled to leave. All in the name of security.
Since every new method of deterrence always sets off new methods of defeating the new security, no doubt, in the future there will be total strip searches and body cavity searches for all passengers. It would be the next "logical" step for the TSA to take folks. They are doing all this to make you feel safe while flying.
The comment that the system works also fails for another reason. It was a passenger and the flight crew who subdued the latest "bomber". Apparently there was no Air Marshall on board that flight. So, the system now depends on the passengers and flight crew to catch any "terrorist" that some how passes through the elaborate security measures at the airports.
Well, OK, fine. If that is the case, and it seems to be so, then a question needs to be asked. If the passengers are now a vital part of the security measures, shouldn't every member of the flying public get at least a discount on their ticket price? After all, if you, as a paying passenger, are also a part of the "security team" shouldn't you be compensated for your "service"? Does the TSA really expect the public to do their jobs and assist in doing the work they are paid to do for free? They get paid to provide "security", so if the passengers are now part of this security team, they should be paid for their service also.
Since the failed Christmas day bombing incident, we have new security measures in place now. Our president has said there will be reviews of the security procedures. He even went so far as to say that there were "systemic failures". Well, isn't that special? I still believe the system worked just as it was set up to work. Since Christmas day, the flying public are now more afraid than they were until then. There are and will be more intrusive "pat downs" and security measures at every airport. The level of fear is now highly increased. The system worked because the goal of the system is to make people fearful and keep them very afraid.
The system worked.
semper fi
