The Sensible Body Scan Alternative

An anonymous reader sends in a CNN article that looks at airport security from more reasonable point of view, suggesting that looking for every last micro-gram of potentially explosive material is a waste of time, since very small quantities of explosives are unlikely to significantly damage a plane. The author also recommends incorporating parts of the Israeli method of securing airplanes — look for the bomber, not the tools. Quoting: "Clearly everything should be done to prevent explosives getting on board an aircraft in quantities sufficient to cause structural failure and bring the plane down. But is it worth chasing lesser quantities that would result in zero or minimal damage? The enhanced pat-down that some find so offensive is designed to search for these small amounts. It often ends with a swab being taken to test for explosive residues. Technology does have a role to play, but imaging is not the solution. Operator fatigue sets in after short periods of time staring at computer images. That's why there are reports that contraband items have been smuggled through X-ray units used to scan carry-on bags. The aim should be to detect high explosive in quantities that are sufficient to cause significant damage. We don't need a machine that takes pictures of the human body. It makes more sense to develop a detector that clearly discriminates between high explosives and human tissue or water."

Comments

ACLU will never let it happen

[Dolphinzilla]

The only way to do security of this type effectively IS the way other countries (like Israel) do it - and that is with profiling, of course the bleeding hearts here in the U.S will never stand for it, so we end up screening little kids, 80 year old invalids, and other unlikely candidates, because we are afraid of offending someone. It might not be 100 % but I'll bet it beats random checks any day of the week....

Re:Not profitable enough

[Moryath]

No, the goal is "security theater." Make people think you are doing something, even if what you are doing is worthless and pointless.

If we really wanted safety, we would follow the Israeli model. Catch the people flying single, with a one-way ticket especially. Extra scrutiny for those with connections to terrorist and fundamentalist organizations.

The problem with the US is that we are so hung up on "OMG PROFILING RAWR" and "waah we can't let muslims think we're against them" that we refuse to acknowledge the differences between Islam and every actual peaceful religion in the world, we refuse to acknowledge the teachings of Islam that make fundamentalism so easy to develop in the pedo's moon cult, and we refuse to acknowledge that a large number (majority or mere sizable minority, makes no difference) of them consider themselves to be "at war" with any non-muslim. There's a reason Islam considers the world broken into two pieces and calls them "Dar Al-Islam" and "Dar Al-Harb": the second means "domain of war."

We don't have to declare to be "at war" with them. They're at war with us merely for not being muslim.

This is nothing new. Thomas Jefferson himself reported to Congress, after meeting with Sidi Haji Abdrahaman (Tripoli's envoy to London): "The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise."

Isn't it nice how we have become so spineless that we now just roll over for them?

The Fourth Amendment

[Dr Damage I]

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon baseless suspicion, supported by trickery and deceit, and stating after the search the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

FTFY