The real purpose of airline security

Recently in tests of airport security some airports had a 70 percent failure rate. Napolitano dismisses this indicating that many of the tests were old and out of date and that there were other problems with them.

Think about this for a second.

In the tests either contraband items did or did not get past the security screening system. Whether it was done an “old” way or a “new” way is irrelevant. Not being able to identify the “problems” is a clear indication that the only problem is that the security screening system doesn’t work and not that there was anything wrong with the tests themselves.

Any tests that reveals a deficiency is a successful test of a faulty system. Tests that are restricted in ways to only show how good a system is are useless.

In this case there are indeed a lot of fundamental faults in the security system. Why? It’s because the security system is not designed to enhance security. It’s designed to do something else.

Recently the federal government went after an airline pilot who revealed gapping holes in airline security. There are a lot of people who have access to passenger aircraft every day who undergo no screening whatsoever. Why? The government says it is because they can’t screen everyone, and that’s true. So, if you can’t screen everyone what do you do?

Who were the 9/11 hijackers? Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt (Atta), and one from Lebanon. They were all in their 20’s to early 30’s. They were all Muslim. They were all males.

Who was the “Shoe Bomber”? He was a male British citizen. He was in his late twenties at the time of the attempted bombing. He is a Muslim.

Who was the “Underwear Bomber”? He was a male from Nigeria. He was in his early twenties. He is a Muslim.

Who was the “Times Square Bomber”? He was a male 30 year old Pakistani immigrant who obtained U.S. citizenship through marriage. He is Muslim.

Who was the “Portland Bomber”? He is a 19 year old Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen. He is Muslim.

So why are people attacking the United States? It is because they consider non-Muslim governments to be the enemy of Islam and that they must be defeated, destroyed or converted to Islam.

So, if you had limited ability to screen people to actually try to improve safety or security what would you do? Would you be spending scarce resources screening 90 year old men in wheelchairs? Would you be preventing 5 year olds from boarding a plane because the name John Smith is on a no-fly list? Would you be requiring naked body scanning of 50 year old women? Would you be scanning airline pilots who actually don’t have to take control of the aircraft because they already have control of it?

What part of the population has the greatest likelihood of being a threat? From the above descriptions of known threats it is male Muslims between the ages of 19 and 39 who are foreign citizens or naturalized U.S. citizens of foreign birth.

Does this mean every U.S. Muslim naturalized of foreign male from 19 to 39 is a terrorist? No. This is only part of a profile. So, what else are you looking for? How about all the things that might make someone suspect (what a concept)? Things like buying tickets with cash, flying one way, having no baggage including carry on, and maybe trying to board an international flight without a passport. How about also considering the people who have intimate access to aircraft who can cause harm without endangering themselves like maintenance workers, food service and cleaning crews?

Consider this. Has TSA security screening ever detected and stopped a terrorist from boarding an aircraft? What? You’ve never heard of it happening? Do you realize that this would be front page news if it had ever happened?

OK, so if the TSA system is not designed to screen for actual terrorists, what is it designed to do? Well what is it doing?

The bottom line here is that completely innocent people who fit no criminal profile and with no identified “probable cause” have been manipulated into waiving their Fourth Amendment right, “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 probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Is naked body scanning without probable cause unreasonable? Yes. Are intrusive body pat downs without probable cause unreasonable? Yes. Is probable cause just the act of buying a ticket and boarding a plane to see aunt Suzie? No.

So what has been accomplished by the present security system? The federal government has manipulated people into eliminating the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution without a single vote.

So, now what do you think the airline security system was really designed to do? I think it is already doing what it was designed to do and I don’t mean enhancing our security.