TSA Effectiveness and Efficiency

[Sam]

I don't believe it's an appropriate response to spend our lives terrified of terrorism, or sacrifice freedoms willy-nilly for the sake or perceived security. The national security apparatus has gone way way way way way way way too far.

It's a non-proportional response which doesn't make any sense relative to the frequency of the event. More American citizens die overseas from traffic accidents or intestinal illnesses than from terrorism. Americans within the US are more likely to be killed by their own furniture than by terrorism. Terrorism is simply not such a serious threat as to warrant a trillion-dollar response.

And you mention "US-bound planes" as a target. Well there isn't much the TSA terrorists can do by making children cry at US airports that will prevent inbound planes being targeted, is there?

I think it's hyperbolic to describe the TSA as evidence of being terrified of terrorism or sacrificing freedom. And while I agree that the national security paranoia is disproportionate, I don't think the TSA is part of that over-the-top response.

The whole problem is that terrorism is, for most countries, an infrequent event. But you have to take into account not only the frequency but the effect. Big earthquakes along the Cascadia fault are rare but when one hits, it hits hard. The question isn't whether enhanced security at airports is proportionate to the frequency of terrorism, it's whether enhanced security at airports is proportionate to the overall risk. Given that one successful terrorist operation launched two decade-plus-long wars, I'm relatively broad on my risk:reward assessment.

US-bound planes are obviously the highest threat and easiest target. But intra-US travel is also vulnerable; the 9/11 terrorists departed from US-based airports.

[One Bad Pig]

Sam, it's kind of hard to control a plane when you're locked out of the cockpit. That one step would pretty much ensure that a repeat of 9/11 doesn't happen.

[Sam]

Sam, it's kind of hard to control a plane when you're locked out of the cockpit. That one step would pretty much ensure that a repeat of 9/11 doesn't happen.

To the extent of flying the plane into a building, perhaps. But if ISIS took credit for so much as downing a full plane out of Chicago into Lake Michigan, we'd have boots on the ground within a month.

[QuantaFille]

I flew last summer. When I went through security at the airport I departed from, there was no security. They just basically shoved everyone through the scanners and x-rayed their luggage and that was it. They had someone standing there shouting, "don't take off your shoes or jacket, don't remove your belt, leave your liquids in your carry on, don't empty your pockets!" Yet, they still had to look inside my suitcase because of a suspicious item. I asked the woman what it was that had triggered the search, and she replied "something that shouldn't have!" She rolled her eyes at the whole situation, pulled out my small metal canister of cornstarch, glanced at it, and then handed it back to me without even asking me what it was for or what was in it. I stuck it back in my suitcase, she said "have a good flight" and I was off.

On the way back, the woman who checked in my luggage reminded me that all electronic devices had to have enough battery power to be able to be powered on at security, but no one asked me to switch anything on and I don't remember anyone else being asked either. That wasn't the TSA, but close enough. When I came through customs upon arrival back in the US, I had checked the "yes" box on the slip where it asks if you've brought back any meat products. That meant I had to have my checked luggage inspected before I could get on my next flight, but when I went into the area to have that done the man simply asked me what I had, and I told him a couple of canned meat pies. I explained that I didn't know if it was ok or not, and that if he needed to take them then I would cooperate. He winked and said, "Don't do it again. Have a nice night." There was no line. There were maybe three agents there and I was literally the only passenger in the area, besides an older woman who seemed to be lost. They didn't even x-ray my suitcase. Then I went and checked my suitcase back in, and went through security again (at this airport, the TSA agents were on top of things and were making people do the whole silly take-off-your-belt-and-shoes routine) and got on the plane to go home.

At no point during my experience with any of the airports I went through did I ever say to myself, "Wow, I'm glad they did that, I sure feel safer now".

[Jedidiah]

. . . snip . . . The question isn't whether enhanced security at airports is proportionate to the frequency of terrorism, it's whether enhanced security at airports is proportionate to the overall risk. Given that one successful terrorist operation launched two decade-plus-long wars, I'm relatively broad on my risk:reward assessment. . . . snip . . .

The point of this thread is not the question of whether or not enhanced airport security is called for. The question is rather, is TSA really a meaningful enhanced security system.

[Sam]

The point of this thread is not the question of whether or not enhanced airport security is called for. The question is rather, is TSA really a meaningful enhanced security system.