Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/07/04

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Subject: RE: [Leica] airport security kinda long. ;-)
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 13:16:54 -0400

Unfortunately Darrell, sometimes shit happens and we all have to deal with
it..."how many airplanes have been hijacked by young married couples with
babies in arms?" Zero, as you note. But let's ask whether pretty teenage
girls are now functioning as suicide bombers, and consider how long it's
going to take those 'middle eastern looking' folks who hate us to figure out
that they need to recruit folks who look more American. Just remember that
the alleged 'dirty bomber' whose arrest was announced with so much fanfare
was a Latino gang member from Chicago, Born In The USA, traveling on an
American passport. And let's remember who blew up the govt. building in OK
city....And let's also remember that our prisons are filled with angry black
men who have converted to what someone has convinced them is Islam.

Sure, the greatest risk comes from those who we can easily profile...but one
of these days someone who doesn't at all fit the profile - a pissed off
73-year-old Canadian white guy with bionic ears who has a major grudge
against the US government and decides that the best way to act on that
grudge is to help the enemies of the US government, is going to surprise us
all.

Sure, I find it annoying as hell that I have to sit for 40 minutes while
some barely employable kid checks my film carts for explosives - annoyed
enough to be thinking about going digital - (ON TOPIC). At the same time,
however, I figure sitting and reading my book for 40 minutes is a small
price to pay after 9/11 - Unlike allot of Americans, I'm not ready to give
up my freedom of speech, nor am I ready to turn my brain over to the
government so they can tell me what to think. I make no secret of the fact
that I think our President is a pathetic jerk, 'war' or no 'war,' whose
popularity rating would be in the low 40s were it not for the 'war.' But I
am certainly ready, willing, and able to get to the airport early and be
inconvenienced if there is even a chance that my doing that may ultimately
help save lives.

B. D.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Darrell
Jennings
Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2002 12:40 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] airport security kinda long. ;-)


And they wonder why air travel is off? I'd rather sit
home or drive and avoid the hassles....from the
airline financial situation most people would too.

Until we start profiling higher risk catagories of
people it will stay like this.  Today the uneducated
guards decide who gets extra screening...At $9/hr. who
would you pick???...the friendly unthreatening sorts
(young couples with kids, grandparents, etc.) They are
the ones I usually see pulled aside...Rediculous! How
many airplanes have been hijacked by young married
couples with babies in arms? ZERO. How many by 80 year
old ladies?

All those that whine about not profiling because of
civil rights are idiots. This is war, and we have a
pretty good idea of the profile of the kind of person
we have to worry about...doesn't mean we should treat
folks that fit the profile unfairly or without respect
because 99.9999% of them are innocent. However, it
doesn't make us safer to have guards with high school
(at best) education strip searching grandmothers
either. In the end the civil rights lawyers will be
happy, and the airlines will be out of business
because no one will put up with it...particularly when
it isn't safer than it was before 9/11.

- --- Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> wrote:
>  A note in the changing airport security saga. One
> must keep relaxed and
> roll with it.
>


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Replies: Reply from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] airport security kinda long. ;-))