Klimbatize wrote:

The extra security stuff really can't be avoided, but it's really stupid to create a scenario where so many people are grouped up into one spot if you're afraid of terrorist attacks at an airport. At any airport there are hundreds of people crammed together in one spot waiting to go through security. A terrorist doesn't need to get on a plane to create a huge scare. Just blow themselves up at the security checkpoint.

This thought scared the crap out of me when I worked for the TSA. Not only is the checkpoint an ideal spot to attack, but if one of these nutjobs gets caught, it's very likely the guy who caught them is gonna be the next target.

I remember a training video, one of those "this is the wrong way, this is the right way" ones. The "wrong way" involved a screener searching a bag with a "shield alarm" (something the X-ray can't penetrate). The screener opened the bag, saw it was a lead-lined film bag that caused the shield, put it back in the bag, and let the guy go on his way. The dramatic music and evil grin on the terrorist's face (some white middle aged dude, of course) reinforced that this was wrong.

Now, the right way. Screener checks the bag, sees the lead-lined film bag, looks inside it (duh!), and sees the wires and timer. Holyshithefoundabomb! He immediately calls for a supervisor, by discretely throwing the film bag back into the luggage and yelling "SUPERVISOR!" The would be-terrorist's reaction: he says, dejectedly, "Oh, shoot!"

I am not making any of this up.

(Also, if you know your bra sets off the freaking metal detector, maybe wear a different one? Honestly. One of the proven ways people have gotten weapons and bombs onto a plane is stuffing it into their chest.)

Rogue Hippo wrote:

I think airport security is a total waste of time. Everything they check for is completely reactionary: -9/11 hijackers use box cutters... OK, we'll ban box cutters, swiss army knives, nail files, etc. -guy attempts to blow homemade bottle bomb... OK, we'll ban any container that can hold liquid. -guy attempts to blow homemade shoe bomb... OK, now everyone has to take their shoes off and have them scanned. Way to stay 1 step behind the enemy. And none of that stopped the underwear bomber. Now they need to add 'chem sniffers' which won't stop the next attempted attack. And yet even with all of those security rules, it seems like any undercover news journalist can sneak any of the above items onto a plane at will. Like people have already said, the real effect of airport security is creating a large cluster of people that are extremely vulnerable to a bomber. So far, after the billions of dollars spent on security, the best defense has been alert passengers who tackle a guy as he tries to light his bomb.

Fun fact: Security screeners miss things like box cutters because we're not really looking for box cutters. We're looking for guns, bombs, and huge freaking knives. Nobody gives a shit if Mr. Smartass Investigative Reporter sneaks through a penknife.

You know why? Because nobody is ever gonna take over a plane with box cutters and razor blades again.

Something I never hear mentioned, but which I think is vitally important, is that the 9/11 hijackers didn't just exploit security loopholes. They exploited our mindset about hijackers. Hijackers before wanted to go somewhere, wanted to demand something, and the standard was to let them go where they want and let's not risk people getting hurt, ya know? Once planes started hitting buildings, our paradigm snapped. Now, no terrorist is ever gonna be able to take over a plane without killing everyone else on board first. United 93 is proof of that. That, right there, is our greatest weapon against terrorists: that US airline passengers just won't let it happen.

As for your other point, something that really irritated me when I worked at TSA is that everything was reactive, not proactive. I left before the liquids ban was put in place, but they knew liquid explosives could be used. They knew before Richard Reed that you could hide things in shoes. It was, terrorists do something, we put measures into place to stop it happening again. But they're always adapting, they're gonna try something new next time.

The truth is, we're never gonna be 100% on an airplane from terrorists, despite our best efforts, because even the strictest security measures will allow something through. Still, I'd like to get as close to it as possible. Not every would-be terrorist is a criminal mastermind, and I kind of like how they can't walk a bomb right onto a plane.

I disagree.

I think that, for the most part, Americans refused to be terrorized. We'll be cautious, but we don't let shit like terrorist threats rule our lives.

Al-Queda though, in particular, likes to go symbolic, and likes to go big. Look up something called the Bojinka Plot, which was a plan to blow up 11 US airliners over the Pacific simultaneously, crash a plane into CIA headquarters, and assassinate the pope. One of the biggest weaknesses of Al-Queda is that plots like this tend to be easy to discover.