Time to Close the Security Theater
1st July 2011
The problem isn’t that the TSA is harassing the wrong people. The problem is that the TSA is harassing anyone. The TSA is encroaching on fundamental liberties and providing no discernable benefit. I’ve written before that the TSA should be abolished. The latest outrage is just more evidence in the case against a government administration we would be better off without. The Transportation Security Administration does not provide transportation security. It provides what security expert Bruce Schneier calls “security theater.” The effect of the all the trimmings and trappings at airport security is to give travelers the impression that the government is going about Very Serious Business. The net effect, though, is perhaps a trivial increase in safety achieved at massive costs in terms of time, treasure, and lives: it is well known that driving is more dangerous than flying. By making flying less convenient, we encourage people to drive more.
July 1st, 2011 at 12:10
Put the airlines in charge of security. They have the most to lose if someone attacks a plane, and they also have (or should have) a desire to have lots of customers who keep flying on their airline. Let them hire Israeli consultants and let them do profiling (because it f*ing makes sense) and pretty soon traffic will be flowing at a reasonable pace.
Chance of the government doing that? Under Obama/Napolitano?? Zero.
Chance of the O./N. staff coming up with something worse than we already have? Pretty close to 100%
Place your bets.