Friday, November 26, 2010

At what point humiliation?


Homeland insecurity

Chertoff has recently been busy rubbishing Martin Broughton, the wise British Airways chairman who said many security checks were redundant — calling him “ill-informed.” Early this year Chertoff called on Congress to “fund a large-scale deployment of next-generation systems.”

Rapiscan and its adviser the Chertoff Group will certainly profit from the deployment underway (some of the machines were bought with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Americans as a whole will not.


Chertoff in my opinion is a buffoon. Remember he was the one who told us to use duct tape and plastic to seal ourselves in place in the event of a chemical or biological attack. That's not even standard operating procedure for first responders or emergency response personnel. Depending on room and family size you'd have about 45 minutes or less of air before your demise. In essence what Chertoff was telling us was to drop dead.

Fear can only be sold for so long and it appears that those in power are far more fearful than the average American. Let's take inventory. Since 911 we've had the shoe bomber, the underpants bomber, and threats from bottle bombs. All of these threats happened overseas and were the result of lapses in security there not in the U.S. Bin Ladin must be chuckling from his undisclosed location as we jump at every turn with the next scheme. It's almost to the point where such plots need not be carried out but merely be leaked for Homeland Security to impose the next humiliation on the masses. What's next? Please place your jacket in the bin. Remove your shoes. Remove your pants and bend over for inspection. When someone comes up with an anal insert bomb then the airlines would be finished.

And at what price do we pay for this sense of security? Spending trillions of dollars in two wars doesn't sound too prudent when this country is in recession. It's sure not helping to move the economy as it did in WWII unless your part of the arms market. Then there's the loss of life and limb from our troops. The total price will not be realized for years to come as yet more bases are built and the effects of PTSD and rehabing our troops are factored.
Lastly there's the funding. Funny how there's always money to fund the military but never any to help the unemployed or uninsured. And all of that military funding was done off the books as if it didn't count yet we'll have to pay for it later.

Update: No bank fails this week.

10 comments:

The Blog Fodder said...

Someone suggested a free market solution. Airlines can offer the security level they wish. I'm with the guy who said we can revert to minimum security at airports and make better use of intelligence focused on the few. Of course then becomes a problem of intrusive intelligence gathering.

The Blog Fodder said...

And if I have to have a pat down for any reason, I'm sticking a banana in my pants so they have something to pat.

Demeur said...

Why not Fodder? We've seen a gal go through in a bikini and a guy go through in a speedo. We always focus on the symptoms and not the solutions.

harry said...

Great post Demeur.

Great idea TBF.

You can bet your sweet ass stuffing a pair of socks in your shorts then submitting" to the 'enhanced" groping will get your particulars put on a "special" list.

Off the pigs.

Tim said...

My take on this if a terrorist gets as far as the Airport, it's already to late. They could take out as many people waiting to get through security as they could on a plane.
I do find it interesting though, we don't ask anyone to do anything about the Wars or terrorist. There's no War tax. Volunteer Military.. Most people just are not affected by the war as they see it. So when inconvenienced, they bitch like hell. Admittedly they are going about it wrong but it didn't seem to hold up holiday travel to much at all. Just an observation.;)

okjimm said...

//effects of PTSD and rehabbing our troops are factored. //

yup...even if we end the wars tomorrow....which we should.... we still need to care of the troops...whatever that cost needs to be

BBC said...

Well at least the military is protecting the unemployed.

Oh hell, no point in me getting all worked up about things I can't change, I saw shit coming and I got ready for it so I'm sitting okay in my simple little world.

As long as they keep cooking the books and I keep getting my SS money I'll keep on doing okay.

I don't fly so I'm not going to get to experience the joy of a female security agent sticking her finger up my ass but that's just the price I'll have to pay for not flying anywhere.

The cat graphic reminds me of one I posted a few years ago that says.

CEILING CAT IS WATCHING YOU MASTURBATE.

Anonymous said...

According to a funny email circulating, there's a line of boxes and you just walk into the box and out the other side. If there's a bomb hidden on your body, it is detonated.

Some of the best solutions are always presented by humor.

Anonymous said...



Also visіt mу webѕitе;
payday loan,
Take a look at my website ; payday loan online

Anonymous said...

360 Per class borrowing Tax citation If You Win Drawingdo comfortable payday loan Now Texas Instruments To take on A Payday Loanpenalize vulnerable Americans Is Orchard apple tree Expensive At 5X
Payday Loan Holdingsholiday resort & Spa Were They heady seriously Advised Or
butNew year Horoscope 2011-Know Your Horoscope For calling And PaydayUS Pension finances
ditch stocks For Alternatives How To get