More Airport Security Lunacy
Warning: I am about to rip into airport security. If you can't handle it, please leave. If you disagree with me, please feel free to leave a passionate but civil and respectful comment. I will return the respect.
I heard today that airport screeners are being warned to watch out for watches with altimeters and built-in lighters. Can anyone explain this to me? This is more proof as far as I am concerned that the whole point of airport security is to simply control, regulate and/or monitor American citizens. I have to admit up front, it was not clear to me that they have banned these items, but it sounded like it- but it really doesn't matter if they are banned or not.
Let's take a look at both of these types of watches.
I am an electrical engineer, I know something about electronics. It would be extremely difficult to use an altimeter watch to trigger a bomb based on altitude, at least in the passenger compartment. Major modifications would need to be made to the watch, it would in fact not be a watch any more. I have a hard time even believing that it would be possible. Besides, with a pressurized cabin I would assume the altitude reading would be terribly inaccurate. But- they have a convincing enough argument that Joe Stupid Public who believes whatever he hears will fall for it and bend over.
Butane lighter watches. Watches are allowed on planes. Lighters are allowed on planes. Watch lighters aren't? You know, they should just strip us down and cuff us before we get on planes.
Forget the watches for now. I understand that the watch issue here is actually minor compared to the rest of airport security. Someone explain how this whole airport security makes us safer, and why it is worth the government intrusion. Besides, if a terrorist even can make it to the airport, the government has failed their job. In my opinion, anything more than the most minimal airport security should not even be necessary because terrorists should not even be able to make it into the country. All this time, effort and manpower should be put into keeping the terrorist jerks from crossing the border to begin with. And I don't want to hear anyone saying that they are working on that too, because I live in Arizona. They are NOT working on it.
I have yet to have anyone convince me that this airport security is anything other than an illegal search and a presumption of guilt. They have to search me and my effects to prove that I am actually a law-abiding citizen who just wants to go visit grandma. "But if you are law-abiding, then you have nothing to hide." Do you really think the 4th Amendment was put in place to protect criminals? No! It was put there to keep the government from doing what they are doing to law abiding citizens.
All that said, I would rather die in a terrorist attack on a plane with my entire family aboard than to see our government do this to our freedoms. That said, I would be more likely to fly with only minimal security, because I prefer the threat from terrorists to my own government ignoring my rights. That said, I don't fly any more.
-Calan
"A man who sacrifices Freedom for Security, deserves neither."
-Ben Franklin
I heard today that airport screeners are being warned to watch out for watches with altimeters and built-in lighters. Can anyone explain this to me? This is more proof as far as I am concerned that the whole point of airport security is to simply control, regulate and/or monitor American citizens. I have to admit up front, it was not clear to me that they have banned these items, but it sounded like it- but it really doesn't matter if they are banned or not.
Let's take a look at both of these types of watches.
I am an electrical engineer, I know something about electronics. It would be extremely difficult to use an altimeter watch to trigger a bomb based on altitude, at least in the passenger compartment. Major modifications would need to be made to the watch, it would in fact not be a watch any more. I have a hard time even believing that it would be possible. Besides, with a pressurized cabin I would assume the altitude reading would be terribly inaccurate. But- they have a convincing enough argument that Joe Stupid Public who believes whatever he hears will fall for it and bend over.
Butane lighter watches. Watches are allowed on planes. Lighters are allowed on planes. Watch lighters aren't? You know, they should just strip us down and cuff us before we get on planes.
Forget the watches for now. I understand that the watch issue here is actually minor compared to the rest of airport security. Someone explain how this whole airport security makes us safer, and why it is worth the government intrusion. Besides, if a terrorist even can make it to the airport, the government has failed their job. In my opinion, anything more than the most minimal airport security should not even be necessary because terrorists should not even be able to make it into the country. All this time, effort and manpower should be put into keeping the terrorist jerks from crossing the border to begin with. And I don't want to hear anyone saying that they are working on that too, because I live in Arizona. They are NOT working on it.
I have yet to have anyone convince me that this airport security is anything other than an illegal search and a presumption of guilt. They have to search me and my effects to prove that I am actually a law-abiding citizen who just wants to go visit grandma. "But if you are law-abiding, then you have nothing to hide." Do you really think the 4th Amendment was put in place to protect criminals? No! It was put there to keep the government from doing what they are doing to law abiding citizens.
All that said, I would rather die in a terrorist attack on a plane with my entire family aboard than to see our government do this to our freedoms. That said, I would be more likely to fly with only minimal security, because I prefer the threat from terrorists to my own government ignoring my rights. That said, I don't fly any more.
-Calan
"A man who sacrifices Freedom for Security, deserves neither."
-Ben Franklin
posted by Calan at 17:03
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