Comments on: Terrorism’s Exploding Cost

By: Helen w.

Helen w. — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:40:50 +0000

Regarding your article about airport security. what about a tested plan that works!!
The Israeli Plan!!

Best, Helen W

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:47:17 +0000

good article. my 96 yr old ex mother in law was literally patted down her 75 pound frame when she went to berliz where she has gone for the last 30 ish years at the same time of year…and her last name is as Irish as can be. oh, this was while she was in the airport wheelchair…
perhaps full body scanners are to help dehumanize us, definitely the herd of sheep lined up while movie stars and other too important people as well as private jet flyers walk on through..
your article was too kind
linda d

By: Frank L.

Frank L. — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:46:16 +0000

In today’s weekly missive, you wrote, “Instead of requiring full body scanners at airports, can’t we utilize our technological genius to pre-screen the vast majority of law abiding travelers and intensify our focus on the real suspects?”

Yes, we can and should. Alas, the logical step is not PC. Its called profiling, a common sense approach that would immediately send the ACLU and their ilk to the courthouse. The “hate-crime perpetrator” who authorized it is then tarred and feathered in the press before s/he is fired or resigns.. Its a bit disingenuous of you, with left-of-center sympathies, to ignore the elephant in the room. While few Muslims are terrorists, many recent acts of terrorism have been linked to radical Muslims or their sympathizers. It makes perfect sense to give them greater scrutiny. As for the howls of inconvenienced Muslim innocents, it won’t be the first time members of a group suffer inconvenience and discrimination due to radicals in their midst. That’s just the way the world works, or should in confronting terrorism. I speak from experience as a minority.

Frank L

By: melinda maginn

melinda maginn — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:31:44 +0000

My business trip last week is a fine example of what you say Clint. I fly extensively. My SFO experience with TSA was a scene of total failure of professionalism and sheer stupidity. The net was a surly, childish TSA agent who was engaged in a temper tantrum and fight with his colleagues and apparent boss. God save us. Bring on the body scanners, get rid of the TSA agents and let’s just get on with it.

By: Banjo

Banjo — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:11:34 +0000

We all know political correctness prevents us from taking efficient, economical steps to greatly reduce the terrorist threat. PC is a toxin in our system that enfeebles and will prove to be fatal.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:58:15 +0000

I fly a lot. I read your cogent comments on cost. You are right on. there are two dis-positive low cost solutions to this problem.

The first is that No one ever asks the question, “do you have any intention of doing harm to this airplane or only person in it? Yes or No? this question could be asked using a voice stress indicator which costs about $3 thousand dollars. If there is a reaction on the screen, this person could be attended to more thoroughly.

The second is, baggage containers that are bomb proof. There is no screening of significance for shipping by air and there is a lot of air freight on every passenger plane, particularly US first class mail. The cost to equip every domestic passenger with these containers at $26 hundred each
can be paid for with a voluntary one dollar contribution from each passenger for 14 months. (source of info is air flight frequency data and number of planes).

You are one of the few people who can publicize this without putting a target on
your back.

By: Brent Parry

Brent Parry — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:08:48 +0000

Clint-
After reading your column this morning, I couldn’t agree more. It is frightening to think that, for a very few dollars (e.g., websites), the terrorists are able to hold us hostage and force us to spend millions if not billions of dollars to avert what we think is going to happen. I equate it to the student who, not caring to go to school today, calls in a false bomb threat, thus disrupting the lives of many.
I wish I had an answer on how to avoid this dilemma. I guess if I did, I would have my own consulting company. However, we are an intelligent, innovative and resourceful nation and if we can’t figure out how to overcome the terrorists, who can? (except possibly the Israelis).
Brent Parry