I would like to state a few points about this issue of airport security, then
I will let the discussion continue. Forgive me if I employ anecdotes to
bolster my feelings about this issue.
I have personally been witness to several serious lapses in airport security,
over the years. In fact "security" is the least appropriate term for most of
the activity that bears that name.
Private security guards, who only in the last few years have been mandated by
N Y State law to be trained and registered, make around $7.00 per hour. Armed
guards make a few bucks per hour more.
I have seen, for instance, a delivery of tourist items, such as cameras,
books, tee-shirts, etc, being brought into the duty-free area of the St.
Thomas airport. What I pointed out to the airport security chief was that
anyone who has a boarding pass, and has successfully been admitted to the
waiting area, can purchase a sealed box that says "camera" on it. Who knows
what's really in the box? I am sorry to say that my protestations went
unheeded.
On another occasion, I saw a mother, loaded down with various bags, set her
infant, in a stroller, outside the metal detector arch, go through, and then
return outside the arch, to retrieve the kid in the stroller. I pointed this
lapse out to the (American Airlines) security person. I said "that woman has
a gun in her stroller". I was of course the bad guy at that point, but I
knew that I was within my rights to draw immediate and dramatic attention to
the potentially dangerous "inspection" that had just taken place. The
supervisor was summoned, and began to give me a scolding for nearly causing a
riot. When I explained that there would have been a bigger riot had I been
correct, he calmed down, and chastised the employee.
The stories go on and on, but you get the point. In European countries, they
mean business when the enforce airport security. I would willingly give up a
few freedoms if the "downside" meant that I needn't worry about my personal
security.
These hijacked planes became military vehicles today. Perhaps some of us who
are not cowards, and have the papers to prove it, could have prevented what
happened. Maybe not. a p bloom
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 08 2001 - 10:58:58 PDT