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Airport Screeners could see X-rated X-rays
AdamBomb writes "Think airport security is bad enough already? Well, the Department of Homeland Security is now planning on rolling out new machines that will allow screeners to actually see through clothing. Could be bad news, though privacy advocates are obviously fighting it."
It's time to get a job as an airport screener!
How am I supposed to fit a pithy, relevant quote into 120 characters?
We don't see any saucy pictures. Just so you know.
Guy asked me for a quarter for a cup of coffee. So I bit him.
1. Where do I apply
2. How do I get put in charge of the 'Hot Chick' section
and oh yeah, something about "my rights are being taken away and freedom is dyin...blah blah blah"
"Plans are for fools! Oglethorpe, the plutonian (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)
Have you seen regular people in society? like 1/3 of people are overweight and many people are OLD..... yeah it would be nice when a euro female soccer team comes thru but UGH I would not want to see the normal 40something soccer MOM (or dad)!
Here's a sample of what they see:
http://www.freedomisslavery.info/index.php?p=1138
Most bad government has grown out of too much government.-Thomas Jefferson Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.
Choosing the lesser of two evils is a choice for evil.
When can we expect the retail eye-wear version of this technology to be mass produced?
</obligatory>
Let the commencement BEGINULATE!
Maybe not a repost on slashdot, but I remember reading about this in Time over a year ago ( 2 years ago? ).
This is old tech, and while privacy is a concern, I'd rather have someone checkin' out my jimmah if it means weapons have a lesser chance of getting on the plane.
As an asside: I don't think tighter passenger security is where we should be headed: I think we should lock down the air planes. The cockpit simply isn't accessable from the main carrage of the plane, there would literally be a seperate entrance externally. Further, I favor undercover armed guards on every flight. Police officers, if you will.
I think this would go a long way in making our flights more secure, without having to resort to privacy encroachment methods.
Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
The human in me thinks this is a twisted invasion of privacy , the man side thinks woo naked chicks sweet job. .I know its wrong and a body is just a body but that is still not a belive that everyone shares and people have issues about this.
However the human side wins out here , this is totaly unacceptable . they will have to have seperat entrances for men and woman as people are uncomfy with a member of th oposite sex seeing them in the all together(not everyone mind you)
If i want sweaty security gaurds seeing me in the buff i will get a website for it , I don't want to have this foist upon me by over zelous national security.
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
The city of chicago followed next, installing 3000 camera's. They can look inside cars. They can tell if you're smoking a joint. They can tell if you're talking to a prostitute.
The city of naperville is installing fingerprint machines in order for people to use the library.
The United States Congress is pushing for a national ID card, with biometrics.
Lets face it, people will soon be tracked, it will be impossible to just slip into a city. The police will know who you are and where you are at all times.
They will soon take your DNA, without your agreement. Anyone hear about DNA dragnets being used in towns? And it is easy for them to get it. They pull you over in your car, they take you down to the station with a bogus charge. They take your picture and fingerprints. They then tell you, we'll we made a mistake, sorry, you're free to go. And as you leave, they vacum up the hair that fell out off your head. Now they have all the information, and there is nothing you can do about it.
So what if they can see you naked? Big deal. That should be the least of your worries, that Officer Friendly can see your wee-wee. What would worry me more is he can keep a tab on what your reading at the library.
Databases are here to stay, and in the future your whole life will exist in a database, somewhere.
It sucks, but that is the preperation for the revolution. If you're not willing to work 50 hours a week just to cover your rent, you will be labled a terrorist. Cuba is waiting for all who complain.
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."
If you've got nothing to hide, may I see you naked?
No?
How about if I screen you every time you walk through my front door with something that allows me to see you essentially naked, no matter what you feel about that?
Forget asking nicely, get fucking naked, now. I need to make sure you're not carrying anything like a nail file, or a pen.
Repeat after me:
Glocks are not undetectable ceramic weapons. Glocks are relatively normal guns with lots of parts in them that will set off metal detectors.
Keep repeating this until you have learned it.
You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
This falls on the "acceptable security" side for me.
That's great. Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to enjoy what rights we have left, ok?
This falls on the "acceptable security" side for me.
What then would be unacceptable?
It is thinking like this that would amount to a slippery slope when it comes to fighting the great (and greater) govt.
So today it is more intrusive searches on 100% of all passengers for the sake of reducing body cavity searches for that unfortunate few, does that mean that tomorrow it'll be ok to have cameras in every single home just because "some home is harbouring terrorists"?
Online backup with Mozy, sounds like Ozzie, but more!
...for airport security, honestly!", Thus spoke the geek inventor of the device he affectionally calls "the incredible peepshow machine". "It took quite a bit of tweaking to get the part of the nipples and genitals outlines right though"
Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
security guy: Please step aside sir!
guy: Who me?
security guy: Yes you with the cock ring
Sample this!
Hmm what keeps someone from storing plastic explosive up their a$$ ? Releaving themselves of it once they get on the plane... Maybe everyone should have full cavity searches before entering the plane... I mean why not, whats a little cavity search when your securtiy is at stake.
What keeps people from filling the metal tubes of their cary on luggage (shoes anyone ?) with explosive, pointy weapons. Lets outlaw any metal framed carry on luggage!!!
There are lots of ways around this and so the advantage is minimal, and the disadvantage is screeners seeing your wife/girlfriend/daughter naked...
No thanks. I take my chances driving on the highway, which is more dangerous than a plane trip, I think we are more than safe enough. Thanks but no thanks.
Im not here now... Im out KILLING pepperoni
Pedophiles everywhere must be excited about this.
Work for the government, get paid, and get to watch naked kids all day long...
There is relly no need to encrypt your files, after all.
I'm just waiting to see how long it will be before someone start posting those pictures.
If a male has nothing to hide, that's exactly the reason why he is concerned to be seen naked.
If they want to see my hairy ass for five secons, that's fine with me. Just don't ask me to take off my fucking jacket and shoes and go through the metal detector three times.
I don't even perceive this as invasion of privacy. If airlines (or TSA) were smart, they'd run both "old fashioned" and "X-ray" things in parallel. X-ray line would move much faster, so people would be going there even though this means showing someone their hairy asses.
What Would John Ashcroft Do? Oh, the dilemma!
http://www.rapiscansystems.com/sec1000.html
1) The images released to the news are intentionally blurry. The real images are much sharper. You can also see e.g. the shinbone as the backscatter radiation penetrates not only clothing, but skin.
2) The amount of radiation received is portrayed as being low. What they neglect to mention is the dosage per UNIT TIME. Sure, you get more on an International flight, but it is amortized over a number of hours, not minutes or seconds. For example, a bone marrow recipient has the old defective marrow killed off by radiation over a couple of days; the same dosage would be fatal if given over a short time period. You also have to add in the cumulative effect of being scanned now in ADDITION to any other radiation you already would receive. If you fly frequently, this may be alarming.
3) This still does nothing for explosives smuggled internally, or for the 95% of unscreened checked luggage. It also does nothing to protect people standing in lines for tickets or at the terminal.
For instance, imagine the TSA actually catches a suicide bomber strapped with explosives. Well, he or she can take out hundreds of people in those parallel security lines, from a combination of different flights...
Thus, all the screening they have added is NOT for protecting people, but for protecting PLANES. Planes are expensive.
Finally, remember in Israel they made it very hard to hijack a plane. What happened? They got suicide bombers every OTHER place instead. Night clubs, restaurants, cafes, on buses, in traffic, everywhere. If you don't want suicide bombers, you have to prevent people from WANTING to do it in the first place. Trying to catch them in the act is going after the symptom, not the root problem.
Airplanes are more secure now for one reason only. The passengers now know to fight back.
We aren't going to see another hijacking for that reason alone. However, there are numerous ways to sneak items onboard which could take out the plane. And it is trivial to leave an unattended package in a crowded line, and an incident at a major airport will shut it down and snarl traffic across the country just as well as if it were on a plane.
It is impossible to stop 100% of determined attacks. The best defense is to avoid having enemies that hate you to that extent in the first place.
the terrorist only have to pull of a scam and inpersonate an peace officers to get arms onboard and hi-jack a plane.
They can do that already.
I will also point out, that if a terrorist succeeds in getting a firearm aboard an aircraft, the chances of there being an Air Marshall on the flight are very slim, unless it happens to be an El Al flight.
Israel actually spends the money to protect each and every flight, since they're actually interested in security, not just the appearance of doing something.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Airline security is so strange. No metal cutlery, no pen knives, nothing vaguely weapon-like in hyour hand luggage, advanced scanner technology everywhere on boarding.
But can I take these four bottles of duty-free vodka which can be turned into extremely sharp weapons in about five seconds in my hand luggage? Of course you can sir.
Just because it's another guy who's looking at me, doesn't mean it's OKAY. Some people may be very uncomfortable with their body. Why should they have to get naked every time they go on a flight?
...I'm fine with that. Better still, how about enforced nakedness on the plane? ... Or I store the plastic explosive up my arse/ass?
Technology's not the answer. The USA not behaving in a way which leads people to hate it so much that they're willing to die for the cause IS.
Look, I've already been subjected to the security gropefest a couple times. I'd take the X-ray *any* day over that. In my mind, this is a restoration of some of my rights ... I don't have to worry about being fondled.
GreyPoopon
--
Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
Ah.. this is the classic "do something really really bad so you can do the lesser bad with people applauding you for it" system.
Rather than being afraid of "scary things yet to come", if that has an overtone of "don't panic"..., have a look at this excerpt from a scholarly article (and that's by a Professor of Law) on what was known the technology could do more than half a decade ago already: Froomkin, The Death of Privacy, p. 1499-1501 (p. 39-41 of the PDF).
Resolution 1 millimeter even back then, with drastic explanations of what that means.
Now... panic!
While the decline from '03 to '04 is good news, the significant figures are those that include the period from immediately before the adoption of the UK's victim disarmament law until the present day.
For the overal historical picture, see "Guns and Violence: The English Experience"
In a nutshell, crime in the UK was on a fairly steady decline until the proponents of victim disarmament started to get their way in the 1930s. It all really hit the fan in the late 1990s, when the gun ban precipitated a sharp rise in gun crime.
When a government is willing to imprison an innocent man for defending himself from criminals, you should certainly expect a jump in crime.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
"BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
see, the fondling is my problem with airport security too...it just never lasts *quite* long enough.
By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. -- George Carlin
Planes are designed to fly with windows missing. It does not cause a catastrophic loss of stability, all it does is depressurise the cabin. Wear your nice yellow mask and everything is fine.
Come on, these things fly with engines missing. One window isn't a major problem. The size is determined as one which can be shot out and the plane can still fly.
How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
No it isn't. There are two problems, but this is not one of them:
First, it's a problem (from the airliners point of view) that people where afraid of flying after 11/9. To combat this, you need to do something that is visible, and that gives the appearance that something is being done. Notice that if the measures actually improve security or not is uninmportant, what matters for this problem is only that people feel safer, not that they are safer.
Most of the stuff we've seen after 11/9 fall in this category, fueled by forces that'd like to see more surveillance and broader police-powers generally, and latch onto this as a suitable excuse.
Then there's the problem of ensuring that flying is safe. Generally it already is pretty safe, but it's always a good thing to improve safety if it can be done at an acceptable cost. (not cost only in sense of money, but in sense of money, inconvenience, etc)
Dealing with "armed criminals on an airplane" is a tiny part of that problem. You may be rigth that having 20 other armed people on the (extremely rare) plane that gets problems with an "armed criminal" may help in that spesific case. But very likely it would hurt more than it helps. Because you get a new class of problems: People who wouldn't otherwise be armed, but which now are because it's allowed.
It happens *often* that some passenger drinks too much / had the wife leave him the day before / starts to argue because his seat isn't the one he'd wished for / looses his temper for some other reason. It's not particularily uncommon that such passengers must be restrained.
If a large part of the passengers are armed, what is today a bit of loud yelling followed by a pair of handcuffs for the rest of the fligth may easily turn into a gunfight. I consider it likely this would happen dozens of times before you experience the first case where all the guns in the plane actually *benefit* security.
Besides which, the golden age of hijacking planes is now over. No group of passengers or crew is going to allow it anymore. Pull any shit on a plane and you'll get your ass tackled by every person on the plane. If they somehow still succeed, the government will have no problem blowing a civilian aircraft out of the sky now that they know what their alternatives are. I got even money on any single fighter pilot being able to pull the trigger on civilians, which is one of the reasons they scramble two.
The more I see stuff like this, the more I'm inclined to believe that no one in the government has any idea how to actually keep its citizens safe. I'm think that this, like many other "security measures" since 9/11, is a placebo designed soley to comfort an ignorant population by making them think that someone is actually doing something useful. Certainly a naked X-ray is a much more comforting thought than is the idea that you could be on the receiving end of an air-to-air missile if someone does actually succeed in hijacking your plane...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
A rapid depressurization at high altitude in any plane can mean a number of people pass out and die before they have a chance to put on their mask.
If for some reason the crew cannot put on masks rapidly then their capacity to react can become impaired due to hypoxia, even if the depressurisation is not rapid. This
might be a useful reference.
I would like to see a report of how effective all this airport busy work is.
How many would be terrorists have we caught using these measures?
True story:
We're (Husband,wife, 2 year old son, parents) headed to a state to visit grandparents. We get delayed in a layover state and the airline issues us aall a one way ticket on another flight.
My 2 year old son gets flagged as a suspect becaue of the one way ticket. Not I or my father in-law, my 2 year old son!
The screeners come up to us and take us to another area. We're not alowed to touch him at this point or we'll be handed to security for resisting. All we can do is follow.
The screeners themselves said that this was ridiculous and were apologetic for the procedure they were required to follow.
It was pretty terrible to watch him freak out in the hands of another adult but then he said "doctor?" and we said "Yes, they're doctors" to agree with him so he's at least civil.
if you steal from one source, that is plagiarism, if you steal from many, well, that's just research.
Today folks, we will learn about a clause of this great document that says, more or less, you have many, many rights, and that it doesn't have to be listed in the Constitution or some other document for it to be a right. That's correct, it does not have to be listed, to be a right.
One example, plucked right out of the air (pun intended), is the right to travel freely. You don't have to present documents or internal passports to move within the US.
So, not do you only have the right to fly, technically, it is a violation of your rights to make you present identification.
But it gets better. You have the right to enter into contracts as you see fit, as an adult, but not into contracts that violate any of your rights... you can't sell yourself into slavery. One example of a contract you can enter into is paying $500 to fly to some city on the other side of the country. An example of a contract that is invalid, giving up your right to very intimate privacy such as revealing your nipples and buttcrack to a airport screener in return for being allowed to board.
you don't have to fly if it's that big of a deal for you.
Maybe he does have to fly. I can think of any number of contrived scenarios where there is no other option, really. Some quite plausible. A parent is dying on the other coast, and you only have a few hours left. Rocketcar Taxi Services is out of business for breaking speed laws...
But it does not matter. It could be the shallowest reason, or no reason at all. The entire point of having rights, is that you don't need to ask for permission to exercise them, or justify their use. And even if we're going to get into tired arguments about abuse of rights, if such a thing is possible, not wanting to be digitally undressed by a TSA mouthbreather just to go on a trip is not one of them.
That is a fucked up example. He shot someone in the back that was running away from his house, then let him bleed to death on his lawn before he was reported missing the next day.
There was no reason for him to fire and in most US states he would be facing charges for his actions.
Not that you are deliberately misleading people or anything. He shot someone in cold blood and let them die in one of the most horrible way imaginable. Hardly "innocent".
You're making sweeping generalizations here. I can think of some that are commonly made about Mexico and its citizens that you would probably refute as well.
Handguns are heavy. To make it easier to carry one around all day, Glock designed a line with some parts made of plastic rather than metal to make them a little lighter. It worked so well that now many handguns from other manufacturers have plastic frames.
There's still plenty of metal in them and they will set off detectors.
The "undetectable plastic gun" thing was FUD, pure and simple.
Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
You cannot wash away blood with blood
When a government is willing to imprison an innocent man for defending himself from criminals
tony martin is hardly an innocent man he was convicted of manslaughter by a jury, the only reason the charge was reduced from murder was Dr Joseph found Martin to be a paranoid nutcase and not able to make rational decisions.
the man shot an unarmed teenage boy in the back, with a gun he was not legal entitled to (his shotgun license had been removed when he started shooting at people scrumping apples.)
in short tony martin is exactly the sort of person i want locked up, one un-able to distinguish between revenge and justice.
the only other case i can think of where the "victim" of crime was jailed for "defending" himself involved a factory owner who set a man trap in his factory for burglars (notice BTW burglars are UNARMED unlike robbers), he then proceeded to brutally torture captured burglar.
Now if you are sitting there and thinking good, it should be his job to meet out punishment to criminals, then you also are confusing revenege and justice and should go back and join the mob weilding pitchforks to which you obviously belong,as you are clearly not a civilised human being.
Oh, that's not true - there are lots of undetectable plastic guns. They just shoot plastic bullets, is all.
Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
Actually, only half wrong. But I thought I'd take the opportunity to use my favourite "subject" heading.
p df
0 5/04/crime-figures.html for details.)
p ?National)
Lets talk British crime rates. Yeah, baby!
Violent crime has fallen by over a third since 1995. So, since they tightened gun laws violent crime in the UK has *fallen*. (Not risen, fallen.)
Source: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1004.
Now, I know there are people who don't like the British Crime Survey. But their methodology is simple. Every year they ask 30,000 people "have you or a close friend/relation been the victim of a crime, if so what was it and how many times did it happen?" Essentially, the survey strips out the absurdities of police crime reporting changes. (See http://thelawwestofealingbroadway.blogspot.com/20
Now, I'm not claiming that guns cause crime. But the evidence is certainly more mixed people (on either side of the debate) believe. And the main argument, I believe, against letting the populace bear arms is the risk of accidents. (See http://www.kidsandguns.org/study/states_deaths.as
Anyway, just my thoughts,
Cheers,
Robert
--- My dad's political betting
You're either a cretinous Fox News slave or you're knowingly mendacious. Either way, fuck you
What did I do to get this kind of language??? From ACLU's own website: The American Civil Liberties Union today told a House subcommittee that airline passenger profiling would be a dangerously ineffective, invasive and potentially discriminatory practice
The grandparent post was about a 2 year old getting searched in the name of being fair to everyone and I pointed out that it would be discriminatory and the ACLU would be all over them if they picked only on suspicious characters. Are you seriously telling me that the ACLU would be in favor of not screening small children but only suspicious characters??? How do you reconcile your claim with their own news release say that profiling better not be used because it might discriminate??? It's all very fine if you want to support searching small children in the name of being fair, but don't blast me if I agree with the grandparent that it's silly to do so.
Here's a quote from their site:
"Due to new federal regulations, it is a felony offense to carry the CIA Letter Opener into an airport.
After about five years, we have revived the CIA Letter Opener. Designed in the mid-1970's, it was based on the A. G. Russell(TM) all steel Sting 1A and has been one of our most popular items of all time. This is the world's toughest letter opener. Made of fiberglass reinforced nylon, it weighs less than one ounce, but with the reinforcing ridges and blood groove to stiffen the blade, it can literally be hammered through a board. The uses are limited only by your imagination; self-defense to tent stakes. Measures 6-1/2" and weighs only 0.8 oz. Made in the U. S. A."
Dunno how you'd hijack a plane with a freaking knife after 9-11.
If you get to the airport really early, you could simply go back through the line again.
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
I'm amazed at the fact that people are so fearful of terrorists that they would allow this. The murder rate in America is between about 10,000 and 25,000 people. Even at the low number, each year about four times more Americans get murdered by fellow Americans than died in 9/11.
We don't allow ourselves to be randomly strip searched at the mall, in bars or before entering our cars, yet we're far more likely to be murdered in those places than on (or by) a plane. Why do we look at run-of-the-mill murder as something that we can't afford to give up our rights to prevent, but terrorism as something that is so fearful that almost anything is fair game.
I don't think I'm in a position to not travel on a plane, but I can still protest if they impliment this. I will find a non-metalic substance that's high contrast to one of these machines and I'll spell out the words "go fuck yourselves you nazi whores" on my chest or back, but under my shirt. The only people who will see it will be the screeners. I will continue to be completely cheerfull and cooperative in every other way. After they get finished looking at my cock and my ass cheeks with their machines, I dare those mother-fuckers to accuse me of being crude or mean to them.
TW
Heh, by the book. I believe they're really sorry, they were probably just minimum-wagers following a procedures list, any deviation from which would incure their PHB's wrath, whos's also just a little guy afraid of what would happen to his job if the MIB hear of said deviation.
What a sorry little world we live in. Who wants to hitch a ride outta here, the next spaceship is flying by next Thursday.
What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
You know...I'm worried abit about all this X-Ray exposure...it isn't like this is a really SAFE technology. For someone that travels a lot, this could potentially be dangerous. I worked in radiology for awhile, and it is serious business. Are the going to outfit the TSA agents with full lead aprons? I prefer to only be irradiated when absolutely necessary for medical reasons....
Wonder when the first airport security cancer lawsuits will take place?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Ya know what... I live in San Diego, a border city, and I used to live within sight of the border. And let me tell you, I was a whole lot more terrified of the illegals sneaking across the border (attacks on Border Patrol Agents are up 150% over last year) with their drugs and guns.
:P
:D
I live where illegal smuggling causes car accident deaths of innocents every week. Where they live in migrant tent tracts and rape and force women and children to prostitute. And this is why, I carry a gun. I'm a gorgeous redhead with a great body.... I can so get kidnapped and disposed of very quickly. Do me a favor... Google crime in San Diego County. Read any of the local news rags... SignonSanDiego.com is pretty good. Most of the violent crime is committed by crankheads or Mexican Illegals whacked out on meth - the major cheap street drug in TJ).
All of that being said.... I go to Mexico about once a month. I drive my American Car with California plates, and I hang out with my American friends. I *love* my time in Mexico. I go down along Baja, and I have a great time... that was until the Police Chief of Rosarito (where we go) was murdered in cold blood in front of his house... over 100 bullet holes were found in him. I'm sorry, sir, but that's just not safe. I have a great time in Mexico, but does it mean that I am not afraid for my life? NO!!!! That's why I have 2 huge guys on either side of me constantly. Oh, and they are CONSTANTLY screwing over Americans in terms of money. Do yourself a favor, change your money in San Ysidro before you go over!!!! They will buttrape you for $$s to pesos.
I did get pulled over by Federales when I was driving home one midnight. I was scared to death, because they really love to throw Americans in Mexican jails for doing nothing wrong. But the officer was very sweet, and I tried my best to speak what very little spanish I know, and he had me follow him to the highway. He asked me - Do you have any drugs... any guns? Of course not!!!! Like I would say yes if I did.
So ya know, there are whole parts of this country for thousands of square miles that are really safe, and perfectly fine to walk around nude in the middle of the street and not have anyone attack you... you might get a laugh or even a ticket, but you won't get abducted, raped and killed. And it's those places, where the 2nd amendment is respected, embraced, and everyone knows old boy might be packing. That's my freedom, my right, and damnit, I WILL PROTECT MYSELF!
Sorry man... the Internet pooped on me.
Wouldn't this also increase the cancer rate over your lifetime if you travel alot too?
for underwear which has a high contrast on these things.... Maybe ceramic-composite plates similar to those used in certain types of body armor....
Honestly... This is fundamentally *bad* technology. If it can easily be manipulated, it is even worse technology.....
Honestly, we are setting ourselves up to be more vulnerable rather than less. A tightly organized terrorist group could cause *more* damage to the US using very little force than they could prior to Sept 11th. Consider the following scenario:
1) Terrorists engage in a large number of fake plots. Maybe leaving luggage stuffed with weights and paper in airport restrooms, giving annonymous tips about ships importing produce being contaminated with chemical and/or biological agents, etc. As a result air traffic is largely shut down in this country, as are produce imports.
2) Once people discover that these are all hoaxes, a real attack is set off somewhere. Security is either distracted or not taking it seriously. So the damage is greater. THis could be kept up for a while. Bear in mind that the goal of terrorism is to scare us into being manipulated. We are well on the way to giving them that.
What we need to do is focus on how to minimize the impact of attacks and then work carefully to find political ways to cut terrorists off from their support base. Prevention is less important than containment.
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