War at the Airport

"By Thomas Frank

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Security screeners at two of the nation's busiest airports failed to find fake bombs hidden on undercover agents posing as passengers in more than 60% of tests last year, according to a classified report obtained by USA TODAY.

Screeners at Los Angeles International Airport missed about 75% of simulated explosives and bomb parts that Transportation Security Administration testers hid under their clothes or in carry-on bags at checkpoints, the TSA report shows."

Um, hello? The enemy started our War on Terror in our own airports, and yet we still cannot stop bombs from getting on the planes even most of the time? Seems to me this should have been a top priority, right after reinforced, lockable cockpit doors.

""That's a huge cause for concern," said Clark Kent Ervin, the Homeland Security Department's former inspector general. "

Take it from Clark Kent, folks...

The List

AlterNet Mobile Edition:

"To the dismay of many of my more progressive friends, I've given the feds the benefit of the doubt on homeland security. I tend to dismiss conspiracy theories as nonsense and I take my shoes off for the airport screeners with a smile.

I'm embarrassed that it took my own ox being gored for me to see the threat posed by the Administration's current restricting of civil liberties. I'm being accused of a serious--even treasonous--criminal intent by a faceless bureaucracy, with no opportunity (that I can find) to refute any errors or false charges. My ability to earn a living is threatened; I speak on civic action and leadership all over the world, including recently at the US Air Force Academy. Plane travel is key to my livelihood.

According to a recent MSNBC piece, thousands of Americans are having similar experiences. And this is not Chile under Pinochet. It's America. My country and yours."

If our system can't fix problems like this guy's, then how are we supposed to stop real terrorists? We can't even make things straight for people we know aren't terrorists (Cat Stevens comes to mind, and Ted Kennedy, too!). I don't have faith in this system, and I bet if we spend 1/10 of what we've spent in Iraq, then we can solve this problem, and protect our liberties at the same time.

Homeland Security: Mission Accomplished

TIME.com: You Say Yusuf, I Say Youssouf...:

"Still, the TSA is learning. It recently acknowledged that a Federal Air Marshall, unable to fly for weeks when his name was mistakenly put on the 'no-fly' list, was in fact not a threat, and removed his name from the list."

Another "would be funny, if not so sad" story for ya. With the $400 Billion we've spent on Iraq, I bet we could have retnia scanners at all airports and we could upgrade and simplify this outmoded system.

This incident pissed off moderate Muslims, even the ones who like US.