They Caught The Times Square Bomber

[Darth Rotor]

Some day soon, some terrorist is going to cook up a plot to detonate his clothes, and those scaredy-cats in the US are gonna make us all fly naked from then on.

It's nice that I find myself in agreement with you, as we are often at loggerheads.

The overreactions have long since gone beyond annoying, and deep into the perpetration of illusion for its own sake.

Long before 9-11, George Carlin had a delightful bit of criticism of airport security based around the "three questions policy" that I wish more people had taken to heart.

DR

 

[WildCat]

Long before 9-11, George Carlin had a delightful bit of criticism of airport security based around the "three questions policy" that I wish more people had taken to heart.

DR

I haven't flown in a long time (I'd rather drive than put up with airport security hassles) but I'm pretty sure they don't ask those questions any more.

 

[barrymore]

The problem with racial profiling is that at some point, we may have to deal with terrorists who aren't idiots (unlike the Times Square bomber and his "support network"). If we only check Arabs, or Pakistanis (or people who look like them), non-idiot terrorists might kidnap a lilly-white little old lady's grand children, fill her car up with high explosives and a radio detonator, and say "drive into Times Square (or other crowded location) or your grandkids are dead", knowing full well that nobody will look twice at her because she's not an Arab.

This is of course but one example of how a terrorist organization might coerce or co-opt somebody who doesn't fit the profile into doing their dirty work.

Still, just because something might happen does not discredit profiling. Not only because the gain from profiling might outweigh the loss from missing a person here or there, but also, there is no guarantee that we would catch this "grandma" in the status quo security program.

 

[willhaven]

I haven't flown in a long time (I'd rather drive than put up with airport security hassles) but I'm pretty sure they don't ask those questions any more.

Really? It takes me less than 10m to get through security at any airport that isn't huge or backed up. Hell, you don't even have to go to the front desk anymore unless you're checking bags. Print out your boarding pass and go.