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NY Times OP/ED: A Smarter Approach to Airline Safety

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Old Nov 14, 2014, 8:46 am
  #1  
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NY Times OP/ED: A Smarter Approach to Airline Safety

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/op...n&pgtype=Blogs
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Old Nov 14, 2014, 10:51 am
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Originally Posted by Chrisinhouston
The last paragraph is nice:

"Running the T.S.A., like running any agency, is in part a public relations job. Getting to a true “risk based” approach to security screening will require not only smarter policies but also a campaign to explain to travelers that some of the annoying procedures they like to think keep them safe are nothing more than security theater."
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Old Nov 14, 2014, 10:54 am
  #3  
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Originally Posted by Maxwell Smart
The last paragraph is nice:

"Running the T.S.A., like running any agency, is in part a public relations job. Getting to a true “risk based” approach to security screening will require not only smarter policies but also a campaign to explain to travelers that some of the annoying procedures they like to think keep them safe are nothing more than security theater."
That's true to a point, but, Pissy and others in the "homeland security government-industrial complex" are smart enough to understand that they have to maintain a baseline fear level in the public in order to continue to exist by solving problems that they created. Right now, they have paranoid unions and blowhards like Peter King to do their dirty work for them.
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Old Nov 14, 2014, 2:36 pm
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Originally Posted by FliesWay2Much
That's true to a point, but, Pissy and others in the "homeland security government-industrial complex" are smart enough to understand that they have to maintain a baseline fear level in the public in order to continue to exist by solving problems that they created. Right now, they have paranoid unions and blowhards like Peter King to do their dirty work for them.
No argument there. What I considered 'nice' was the fact that a major media outlet identified sheeple stupidity as an impediment to good security. That and use of the phrase "security theater".
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Old Nov 14, 2014, 3:25 pm
  #5  
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Originally Posted by Maxwell Smart
Quote:





Originally Posted by FliesWay2Much


That's true to a point, but, Pissy and others in the "homeland security government-industrial complex" are smart enough to understand that they have to maintain a baseline fear level in the public in order to continue to exist by solving problems that they created. Right now, they have paranoid unions and blowhards like Peter King to do their dirty work for them.




No argument there. What I considered 'nice' was the fact that a major media outlet identified sheeple stupidity as an impediment to good security. That and use of the phrase "security theater".
Definitely wasn't disagreeing with you! Sheeple are the third leg of the "fear triad."
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Old Nov 14, 2014, 3:35 pm
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Originally Posted by FliesWay2Much
Definitely wasn't disagreeing with you! Sheeple are the third leg of the "fear triad."
"Fear Triad" -- I like it!
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Old Nov 15, 2014, 11:04 am
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I love this bit:

While the program has improved wait times at security checkpoints, a truly risk-based approach would rely more on randomization. Unpredictable, variable measures are likely to be more effective than routine belt and shoe searches. It would also make sense to allow screeners more discretion. All that time devoted to policing shoes could be better spent observing passengers.
Well, yeah, it's certainly smarter to have screeners look for C4 instead of water bottles and snow globes.

But "random" and "unpredictable" are no more secure, and any increase in screener discretion will only give them greater power to abuse.
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Old Nov 15, 2014, 11:24 am
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Originally Posted by WillCAD
I love this bit:
Well, yeah, it's certainly smarter to have screeners look for C4 instead of water bottles and snow globes.

But "random" and "unpredictable" are no more secure, and any increase in screener discretion will only give them greater power to abuse.
Take the whole sentence together:

Unpredictable, variable measures are likely to be more effective than routine belt and shoe searches.
Routine belt and shoe searches --- in this era of locked doors to the flight deck and empowered passengers --- are probably of infinitesimally small effectiveness. Unpredictable and variable measure don't have to be much better at all to be "more effective" than this particular procedure.
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