DHS response to terror plot provides useless security
The day after the discovery of a terrorist plot to hijak 9 planes bound for the US, the Department of Homeland Security issued the following decree. This is from a printed flier I obtained while dropping off a friend at DCA:
By Order of the Department of Homeland Security
Transportation security Administration
PASSENGERS MAY NOT HAVE LIQUIDS
OR GELS OF ANY SIZE AT THE
SCREENING CHECKPOINTS OR
IN THE CABIN OF THE AIRCRAFT
Including beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste,
hair gel, and other items of similar consistency
Such items may be transported in checked baggage
Passengers may have -
Baby formula, breast milk, or juice if a baby or small child is traveling.
Prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger’s ticket.
Insulin and essential other non-prescription medicines.
Beverages purchased in the sterile area must be consumed
before boarding the aircraft.
The most obvious issue here is the exception. As with most things in the security arena, the exception becomes the rule.
You can’t have liquids, but then you can. OMG WTF. That’s security!
Ok… So all I have to do is put my malware in a prescription bottle. Umm… Ok.
So, we inconvenience hundreds of thousands innocent travelers when the evildoers are not thwarted.
This is useless security.
I could continue on a tirade against DHS (aka, Department of Hilarious Security), but I’ll let your mind wander here.
I have a vision. Within 5 years, after arriving at the gate, passengers will be required to remove all clothing, place it into a bag with their carry-on to be stowed beneath the aircraft. No food will be served, there will be no movies, no object will be in the cabin that isn’t bolted to the aircraft.
Surely this is obvious extension of what DHS is doing now. The result, terrorists get a job in baggage, and place timed devices on the aircraft…
There are few targets that can be sufficiently hardened to thwart terrorist attack… Once one is hardened, the terrorists will simply pick an easier target.
DHS is a waste of my tax dollars. I’d gladly replace all of DHS-TS with 10 Israli security forces personnel randomly placed at ingress points.
Bill