I agree, airline agents speaking to passengers is probably the main security. But, it sounds like they have several checkpoints that require human interaction and checking, and metal and x-ray detectors as well. I was trying to educate myself a bit about this, and thought this was an interesting article. The article stance was supportive of the way they do security in Israel, but doubtful as to whether it could be fully implemented (work exactly the same) in the US. p.s. We do profiling to an extent already in the US, as passengers from certain countries undergo additional scrutiny. Those are kind of cute, but am surprised they are being advertised in that way. I think wearing these underwear while going through the naked body scan would pretty much guarantee that you're going to have a TSA agent manually fondling your groin area.
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate. It's a high explosive. It can be made into a nice plastic explosive, either alone or in combination with RDX to make Semtex. RDX is generally nicer to work with, as it is more stable. Terrorists seem to prefer PETN due to it's ease of manufacture. Fun with applied chemistry!
The problem I have is that there was nothing wrong with the old scanning technology. It was very effective, not at all evasive and much less expensive to procure. (insert bias - dad used to own a company that made the devices) Keep in mind, the terrorists on 9/11 did not board with anything they were not allowed to carry on board a plane. No matter what the security methods of the day, even using today's methods would not have prohibited them from carrying out their mission. When you use the word "scanner" yes. I feel the same way. But for people that fly extremely often going through an "X-RAY" device on a regular basis might concern some. Why does the x-ray tech cover me with lead and walk out of the room? Radiation in moderation is not known to be harmful. The liberty given up is the presumption of guilt. While it may be constant and consistent for everyone, its still a presumption and to some a violation of their 4th Amendment rights. Hey, I'm all for doing it this way so long as we keep it consistent with regards to all forms of presumption and searches. In other words, why don't we go door to door to every home in America and ask for proof of citizenship. After all, if scanning everyone that boards a plan is an acceptable method of rooting out terrorist, wouldn't going door to door be an acceptable method for rooting out illegals? I guess, but usually invasive procedures like that are something that is voluntary, or at the very least "suggested", not forced. I'd prefer that they just did not fly, but like you said, Muslims do not all look alike. I don't think you're missing anything. You're presenting a very logical observation of one side of the argument. The reality is, more of this controversy has been born by the media than by the average Joe that typically considers deshoeing, scanners (xrays) pat downs, etc., merely more an inconvenience than an intrusion. Personally I'd prefer the airlines were aloud to deal with security themselves.
Myself also. People could choose to fly the low security airline or the high security airline. Prices would go up and down based upon the cost of screening vs. the cost of security incidents. The free market would decide the appropriate level of security.
This is a great thread. Serious topic with a never-ending joke supply. Personally, I won't go through the scanner, but I don't mind being fondled
Then learn how to sneeze and mutter things like syphilis and hepatitis under your breath while sneezing on the agent doing the nasty.
Check out Hal Sparks' awesome advice on twitter about how to handle it. He's on a roll: http://twitter.com/HalSparks
I don't mind how it is right now, especially in my country, or from my own first hand experience. Though to be honest I didn't see a lot of touching going on when going through bagging and immigration. X RAY is the way forward. So what if they can see a an X-RAY of you naked, so as long as you don't have a bomb on you, the safer I'll feel if they x ray you when on the plane. Travelled from London (Heathrow) to Taipei (Taiwan) and I was never searched thoroughly to the extent I had my junk fondled as eloquently stated by the OP. I'd rather the searches they do now, as I want to be assured that the flight I'm on has no bomb on it. Freedom also requires protection to this extent when you have extremists around.
I think this guy is on to something here. [video=youtube;9sL3uMWujmw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sL3uMWujmw[/video]