Stupid, Scary and Silly Security Stories
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| SAMs - The New Air Security Threat | |
| The bad
news - most airplanes are defenseless against SAMs. The worse news -
there are thousands of SAMs potentially in the hands of terrorists.
The worst news of all – airplanes could be equipped with
anti-missile systems, but the airlines are balking at the cost. Read more, including an insider guess as to how the Israeli plane avoided the two missiles fired at it last weekend. |
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| Security - A Sham or a Shambles? | |
| Aviation security and
'homeland security' has blossomed into a multi-billion dollar a year
business. There is no denying that there were massive security
loopholes prior to 9/11, and many of the new measures are sensible,
and necessary. But let's not pretend that we are now 100% secure, and let's not also pretend that we can ever achieve 100% security. Most of all, let's not adopt a mindless attitude but instead temper security with common sense. |
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| The Master Terrorist List | |
| Read
what happens when an ordinary person finds herself somehow on the
'Master Terrorist List'. This would be funny if it weren't serious and scary. |
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| Beware of Checked Baggage X-ray Machines | |
| The new X-ray machines that inspect checked luggage can destroy most normal film. And that's not all, the new experimental anti-anthrax Post Office irradiation won't just zap your film, but may also kill computer chips and even regular CDs and DVDs. | |
| Reconciling Security, Service and Sense | |
Everyone is understandably concerned about security at present, and some over-reaction is perhaps occasionally unavoidable and acceptable. When such mistakes occur, the chances are that a generally sympathetic public will respond positively to a simple 'We're sorry, we made a mistake'. But United's actions in Philadelphia on 10 October cross the line into seriously inappropriate behavior, and their subsequent attempts to try and shift the blame by lying (rather than admitting their mistake and apologizing) is entirely out of place in a society based on honesty and transparency. |
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| The Weakest Link | |
| Everyone breathes a
sigh of relief as the new Airport Security Federalization Act is passed
into law. but will this really solve anything? Based on previous laws
passed after the Pan Am 103 and TWA 800 crashes, there is little reason
to feel positive. Meantime, the airlines continue to do what they're best at - attempt to delay introducing vital new security measures. |
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| Spinning our Wheels | |
| Exactly as predicted
last week, the DOT is now admitting they won't have new baggage security
measures in place by 18 Jan 2002. While they are now promising an 'immediate' reduction in delays at security screening points, who knows what 'immediate' means to such people that have taken more than ten years and still not introduced baggage screening? |
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| An Unbalanced Response | |
| After 13 years, we
still haven't closed the security loophole that allowed a terrorist to
bomb the Pan Am 103 flight over Lockerbie. But in less than 13 hours
after the 'shoe bomber' failed to explode his shoes on board a flight,
we're scrutinizing everyone's shoes. There are plenty of ways for bad things to happen about planes - including poor maintenance and bad piloting. Why aren't we sensibly addressing all threats to flight safety? |
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| Security Silliness | |
| Earlier this week the
government said it was too dangerous for pilots to have guns in their
cockpits. Rather than risk pilots shooting it out with hijackers and
possibly endangering other passengers, the govt said it would simply
order the airforce to shoot down any hijacked planes. Meanwhile, there is a much more terrifying threat on most planes that the TSA seems to be ignoring in the hope it will go away by itself. |
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| What's the Big Deal with Bags? | |
| In 1990 Congress
required the FAA to screen passengers' checked bags by 1993. Now, twelve
years later, we're doubtful about implementing screening by the end of
the year. Most industry observers claim this is impossible, but the TSA
surprisingly says 'no problem'. The TSA, in among other mammoth cost overruns, plans to implement the most expensive approach to bag screening. But, as this column reveals, their solution, while undoubtedly expensive, is almost certainly not as effective as a method costing forty times less! |
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| The TSA Banned Carryon List | |
| Here is the
TSA's official list of what you can not take as carry-on onto a plane. But note that the list is subject to interpretation. Just because something isn't on the list doesn't mean you can take it on board! |
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