Originally Posted by
Firebug4
OK, how many points of entry are on the Southern Border? How many points are on the Northern Border? I guaranty once you have "controlled" all of your identified points of entry. Ten more will spring up to the east and west of you. That doesn't even count the amount that are tunneling under your "controlled" points of entry. It is easy to sit at a computer and type what the solution should be. It is another matter to go to the field observe the conditions and areas to be "controlled" then see the resources available. It is kinda like being at a diner and trying to butter your two pieces of toast (the border) with the butter (resources) from one of those little plastic butter packets.
FB
I have not offered a solution. I am at a loss to even start to formulate a solution because the situation may be out of control. In fact, I specifically stated that there may not be a solution.
Control of the borders and the coasts will be part of the solution, the question is how do we do it. How do you control thousands of miles of border and coastline without draconian action? How is it paid for? It is very much part of why this may not be solvable.
The solution, if there is one, will depend on individual respect for our law and fear of the repercussions for breaking it.
We do not at this time have the political will to create this atmosphere of respect. It is not a current problem specific to a single political group. This lack of will goes back for many years.
At their basic, internal ID checks say, since we can not control who gets in, we will try to spot check for our failures and correct it one perpetrator at a time.
It is the same in microcosm with the infuriating gate checks. In a very controlled system with limited access and checks of everyone who crosses, it is still felt to be necessary to do additional random checks inside the sterile area. Why, unless one knows that the system allows failures and spot checks inside will correct the failures?
Originally Posted by
nbs2
Wow. This veered off course pretty quickly, but I guess my post wasn't clear. My issue was with educating folks about how willing they are to sacrifice their civil liberties to the impotent god of security all the while chanting the mantra of "9/11" like they are the former mayors of NYC.
With TSA operating under the belief that a real name/fake BP at the TDC followed by fake name/real BP at gate is impossible, and yet that the name of a passenger can be a threat to aviation, it seems inevitable the smart people, people with some power will eventually buy into the hype.
You are correct. Let me be the first to get a wheel back up on the road. Let's solve this unsolvable problem and leave the other one to the experts.
They understand that the system is trying to stop the unstoppable, that it is set up to identify specific threats from random and unpredictable sources, that it must make millions of inspections before the possibility of detection of the one breach, and that in the end, this system can not be perfect, and none could be. So, they hope it works. They want to believe it works because the alternative is unthinkable. It is a matter of faith.
"This looks ridiculous on its face, but I am going to trust you because you may have greater knowledge than me."
"I can not secure myself, so I will trust you to provide my security and safety."
"The system has much greater power than I do to detect threats and I will trust them to do their job."
"Wow, look at all of the action and hustle and bustle trying to secure little ole me. I believe they must really care about my safety and security."
Sounds like faith to me.
But, I reserve the right to be absolutely wrong. I hope I am wrong.