The "Underwear Bomber"...and yet more security checks

[Caveat Emptor]

Since this incident on Christmas, there have been calls to install more "whole body scanners." As always, there are those who say "No!! It's no more than a virtual strip search and an invasion of privacy!" How "violated" would these same people feel if someone they knew or loved died in an explosion that could presumably have been prevented by using these devices?

I went through Detroit Int'l most recently on my way to and from Germany in April '07. I went through one of those "air puffer / sniffer" machines...on my way BACK from Europe when i had to transfer to my domestic flight. My thought then as it is now is If I had explosives, wouldn't I have used them BEFORE WE LANDED, like this Nigerian tried to do???

[draggar]

I don't have an issue with them. Snif me out - I have nothing to hide!!

My thought then as it is now is If I had explosives, wouldn't I have used them BEFORE WE LANDED, like this Nigerian tried to do???

No one said he was bright. Maybe he just wok up and said "Oops!"

[Rageaholic]

What bugs me about the whole thing is that even with these security checks, these assholes still manage to get around it. It's like they are searching for any hole they can in our security so they can kill peoplle. I'm just relieved that civilians were able to detain this nutcase before he could blow up the plain. This shows that we are capible of protecting ourselfs from terrorism if they actually do attempt something.

Words cannot describe the hatred I have for any terrorists.

[Nyoibo]

And now they've got full body patdowns for everyone going in to the US apparently.

[AdminAssistant]

No one said he was bright. Maybe he just wok up and said "Oops!"

Actually, it seems that he was waiting to get over American soil.

[blas87]

On the news this morning, a rep even admitted that security is better at your local Wal-Mart than at airports.

[jackfaire]

On the news this morning, a rep even admitted that security is better at your local Wal-Mart than at airports.

If that's true then they should get rid of the X Ray scanners, never watch the front doors, not stop anyone when the detectors beep and then they will have the level of security of my local Walmart.

There always seems to be some person saying security isn't as good as (insert your standard store) yet I see more security measures in every airport than I ever do at a store.

You know why there are always more security breaches at an airport than at a Walmart. No one is trying to blow up Wal Mart.

[Slytovhand]

America - the land of the free.....


Someone, remind me please, where is that from?

[Nyoibo]

You know why there are always more security breaches at an airport than at a Walmart. No one is trying to blow up Wal Mart.

More's the pity.

[HYHYBT]

Did they ever find out anything definite about that plane that vanished over the Atlantic a few months back?

Edit: actually, I don't know why terrorists would be particularly interested in planes, since they'd never again have a load of passengers that would let them crash one. It seems like it would be a lot easier to blow up Wal-Marts... and a lot more terrifying: (nearly) all of us go to Wal-Mart regularly, while hardly anyone is on a plane more than a couple of trips a year.

[Mr Slugger]

See when I heard about this guy I thought to myself no wonder why the bomb didn't go off. I mean it's gotta be hard to light a flame while your pissing yourself scared about doing it

But on the serious note. I think part of the problem is that they will always look for the weakness in security, and not matter how many security measures you do they'll try to find a hole in it. But it still doesn't look good when this guy had so many warning flags and yet got on.

[Greenday]

If that's true then they should get rid of the X Ray scanners, never watch the front doors, not stop anyone when the detectors beep and then they will have the level of security of my local Walmart.

Don't forgot the armed guards, drug sniffing dogs, etc. etc.

There isn't such thing of security at a Walmart. Scanners that scan for stolen merchandise does not count as security.

I really don't know how much more they can add to security searches. Besides full body x-ray scanning, I can't think of anything.

[protege]

Has anyone heard of how the problem is being handled? From what I understand, passengers will not be able to use the restroom an hour before landing. Nor will they be allowed to have blankets on their laps. Sorry, but if you have to go, you have to go. Are they then going to bitch when people piss (or worse!) on the floor?

[muses_nightmare]

I was watching the news yesterday, and the security measures they're taking now are a bit ridiculous. I mean I get wanting to restrict items allowed onboard for security, but people aren't allowed to have carryons?

At the Vancouver airport it was a huge clusterfuck of suck, I'm very glad I wasn't flying. First there was this whole security thing with the states, and passengers weren't being told anything, the news reporters even went up to the information desk and asked about if they were telling passengers what was happening, the people at the desk said "no, we're basically just standing here. We aren't allowed to say anything.", needless to say passengers were pissed. and on top of that the automated computer system went down, so everyone had to be checked in manually.

I'm not opposed to those full body scanners, if that's the only way they can catch some of these people. I mean, if you think about it, anything you carry on your body (not in a coat), that isn't metal will get through security. Bit of a scary thought there.

[jackfaire]

Pre 9/11 I didn't remember I was wearing my steel toed boots when I went to the airport to pick up my grandmother. Neither me nor security could figure out what it was so they let me through. Took me another ten steps and I remembered my boots.