Thanks to Doug Mataconis, a glimpse into the mind of the Transportation Security Agency. Although “[t]here is no intelligence pointing to a specific plot,” unspecified officials at the TSA with access to airline executives have stated that they fear “some terrorists are considering surgically implanting explosives into humans to carry out attacks.”
Well, anyone who’s ever watched science fiction could have told you this was going to be in the cards eventually. I mean, kudos to the TSA for at least trying to look for the next bomb instead of the last one, but this idea is at least a year and a half old. I haven’t bothered to do any research into when the idea first came up in speculative fiction, although I wouldn’t be suprised to find it in a story from long ago written by someone like Robert Heinlein or Jerry Pournelle or Isaac Asimov or even L. Ron Hubbard.
What will the good folks at the TSA do now that they’ve hatched this paranoid egg? They aren’t saying specifically. International travelers should be on the lookout for “additional screening at airports,” which are “designed to be unpredictable” and may include “pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies.” More intrusive than what has been done three times in a row to my decidedly innocuous blog partner? What else is there? Strip searches?
The TSA could try “interaction with passengers,” which is what the Israelis do and I think they would have have more incentive than most, and for longer, to have figured out what really works. But of course that’s not going to happen. Israeli security agents are well-trained, well-paid, and well-motivated. With all due respect to the TSA agents who have been working hard and trying to do a good job out there, those adjectives don’t describe most of the TSA employees I’ve seen in action. “Indifferent” to “moderately attentive” describes most of them. (Yes, I’ve come across some who were both capable and concerned with balancing meaningful security with good customer service, and they are credits to their organization. Sadly, they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.) If nothing else, the government simply can’t afford to pay TSA officers the kind of money and provide the kind of training that Israeli airline security officers get. Besides, paying attention to other people is, you know, icky and inexact.
I’m beginning to fear that the irrational paranoia will only be put in check by a radical solution. This is going to escalate, and escalate, and escalate, until the security theater reaches ridiculous levels. I don’t see any way around it — at an international airport near you, people making $13 an hour will soon be required to deny entry to the United States to people who do not submit to anal probes. “I know your connecting flight is in half an hour, sir, but I need you to step over behind this curtain with me. Welcome to the United States.”
The “human bomb” stories that come to mind are by Dick and Varley.
The most recent one I’ve seen is Batman-related.
I have a sarcastic solution that would provide 100% security: ban commercial air travel.
And why stop there? Blockade every sea port and shutdown railways. And close the interstate highways. Also shut down car and bicycle manufacturers.
And if people attempt to purchase shoes to travel by foot, arrest them and all the shoemakers.
There you have it, 100% security. No one will be able to go anywhere.
Everyone keeps pointing to Israel like they’re the solution for everything. I think it was Claire Berlinski who pointed out that a system that requires a white American Jew woman to spend two hours being interviewed isn’t exactly a system designed to speed travelers to their destinations.
So Burt, you’re formally endorsing Ron Paul ???
Beyond the intrusiveness and training involved, there’s a huge difference between the US and Israel: the number of airports. If we only had major-city international airports to worry about, we might be able to find and train personnel to do it, but we would have to cover airports ranging from LAX to St. George Utah. Otherwise, the would-be terrorist simply boards in St. George, then transfers in Denver to flight worth downing. Or you pick an airport that you know is going to be insanely busy and they’re not going to have time to properly interview everyone and where there’s simply too many people to keep an eye on.
We’ve gone to the point where we are working in overdrive to assuage irrational fears. The tragedy of 9/11 was transporting the plane into a weapon, which is something that passengers won’t let happen again and we have reinforced doors to prevent. Even if the terrorists get one airplane a year, flying will still be extremely safe. Rather than expecting us to man up to this, we’re trying to make the unkeepable promise that it will never happen again. We all know how irrational the fear is, but we don’t seem to see that as a reason not to let it drive us crazy.