Homeland Security Revisited

Before 9/11 American air travel had minimum security measures. Because of previous airline hijackings we were no longer allowed to accompany our family members to their gate to kiss and see them off as they boarded the plane.

(One time Gary and I were leaving North Carolina after a visit with his parents. We were on our way to the Army/Navy game in Philadelphia. We were in our seats on the airplane an the next thing we know, his mother is tapping him on the shoulder to give him a pair of long john underwear (no correlation to the underwear bomber) another kiss and then she returned to the terminal to watch the flight take off. Anywhoo, those were the pre-hijack days.

I think the next significant terrorist incident was the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.. 270 people lost their lives that day. But, we looked on it as a hijacking with a bomb, a one time thing. We got the guy and he was imprisoned, we're safe now.

Then the series of attacks on 9/11/2001 ...using airplanes as the bombs. Over 3,000 Americans died. Both World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, PA. The world was changed. Government response, we had our checked luggage screened and our carry on items run through metal detectors. no knives, scissors or box cutters. (duh) Oh, and if a meal is offered, plastic eating utensils.

Not long after 9/11, Richard Reid attempts to set off a bomb in his shoe...and now in addition to all the other inconveniences, airport security demands we all take off our shoes. We are also limited to the amount of bottled liquids 2 oz, I believe, we can carry on.

Finally we have the clown with a bomb in his Wunderbundies new security measures of whole body scanning not to mention we must stay in our seats and, nothing on the lap for the last hour of the flight. None of this bothers me except that it does nothing to protect us if the CIA, TSA, Homeland Security Department and the ticket agent cannot put 2+2 together.

In the most recent incident our president said that the system worked but" failed to connect the dots"

Word of the day: snarkey

We are so paranoid to profile individuals. I watched the Huckabee Show this last Sunday and he had the former security director for Israel's El Al Airline and current director of Yeffet Security Systems, Isaac Yeffet. Israel has taken this issue very seriously. They interview every passenger from the presentation of the passport, going through it and asking why that person was in any of the countries they had been in...and most especially if it were another middle eastern country. They are unconcerned with political correctness. They are concerned with the protection of their citizens and other travelers.

The Israeli's have a different take on airline security. This is not a joke to them. Why does it seem like a joke to us. Please we need to wake up. These terrorists want to kill us. That is their job.

If a person buys a one way ticket with cash and has no luggage they interview him. If he has traveled to a country unfriendly with Israel, they want to know why he went and what he did while he was there. They check and double check visa's. l'al airlines has a very solid safety record.


Our President, Janet Napolitano, CIA, FBI, TSA, need to wake up and admit that we need help and seek that help from Israel's El Al Security advisers. The persons in charge are not connecting the dots, and we are more at risk because of it. Our security measures are only in place to inconvenience the passenger not prevent the terrorist passenger from his perverted goal.

"It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you"

Paraphrase from Mike Huckabee