Originally Posted by
Bart
Seems to me that the bad guys want expendable pawns to carry out these attacks rather than having their own bomb-making experts who may succeed in carrying out these plots---once!
Or, and this is a distinct possibility, the bad guys are playing our bureaucracy knowing that it will provoke a reaction and cause disruption and increased costs. Remember that one goal of AlQ is to wreak economic harm on our society. What's the old saying "Ignore it and it will go away".
Sometimes the best thing to do is to yank the bad guys and not react thereto (or make incremental changes without advertising the fact).
By changing our way of life, we are playing right into their hands.
However, TSA is also part of a large bureaucracy, and bureaucracies work on the principle of path of least resistance......In other words, it's easier to just ban liquids over a certain size than it is to develop specific procedures that address the multitude of different scenarios ranging from breast milk to cough syrup to a bottle of Ozarka brand water. Not a good answer, but I think it's a realistic one. I'm not supporting or defending; I'm just pointing out why TSA probably won't ever change the fundamentals of the current liquids policy.
My two cents, FWIW.
And a two cents that's worth far more than two cents.
IMHO, you are spot-on about bureaucracy. I've been saying for a long time that it's about "administrative convenience" rather than truly effective procedure. But that comes from years of dealing with bureaucracies inside and out.
I'd add that politics plays a role, too, as no one wants to answer to Sen. Blowhard when he asks why something more wasn't done.