Atanu Dey On India's Development

Absurd Security Theater

December 12, 2010 by Atanu Dey | 14 Comments

The Transportation Security Authority of the US is getting more absurd in the security theater they play at. Only the big items hit the news, not the humiliation that the average flyer has to go through.

For instance, Meera Shankar, an Indian diplomat, was given the “enhanced pat-down” in Mississippi a few days ago. (See India diplomat gets ‘humiliating’ pat-down at Mississippi airport.) I don’t think that her being a diplomat should have anything to do with it. Even non-diplomats should not have to undergo such pad-downs. That just shows that it is all security theater and does nothing to make us safe from Islamic terrorism in the skies.

Here’s something that shows how utterly idiotic the TSA can be.

Remember that the US has spent $45 billion on aviation security since 9/11/2001. That is not the total cost to society. The number of hours lost, the frustration, the having to throw away innocuous stuff at the airport, not being allowed to carry any liquids, etc — all add up to a lot more than just money. And how much do the Islamic terrorist spend on killing people? Pitiably little in comparison.

Hitchens wrote a piece in Slate: “Don’t be an Ass about Airport Security“. In there he gives an example of how little the Islamic terrorists spent — $4,200 — in the toner-cartridge incidents. It is anybody’s guess as to the millions of dollars that it will cost to take precaution against toner-cartridge bombs. (Thanks to Sudipta for the link.)

The Islamic terrorists will continue to figure out more imaginative ways of keeping a step ahead of the TSA. This is not going to end until the government realizes that it is not what you carry on board but who you are that matters. Your profile dictates whether you are a threat or not, not whether you have any weapon on you or not.

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  • Suhit Anantula
  • http://sudiptachatterjee.blogspot.com Sudipta Chatterjee

    Atanu,

    The source of the JPEG image? Looks like these are war vets from Iraq or something!

    Sudipta

  • Mohit

    How are they supposed to profile people? Diplomat’s was an exceptional case and she could have been recognized cause she was a known figure. But you cant profile each and every person. That’s just not possible. Also thing to be noted is we(in India)have had attacks even after 26/11 (our govt. just don’t seems to have learned the lesson), but USA on the other hand have never had any major attacks after 9/11. Hence tough these kind of small glitches, no matter how irritating and stupid they are, have helped them.

  • Anon

    I do not understand why you are singling out Islamic terrorists? The pat-down and security measures are to protect from ALL types of attack and terrorism, not just those from a single threat. I abhor your attempts to further create divisions and disseminate racist and discriminatory views.

  • Straight Face

    I do not understand why you are singling out Islamic terrorists?

    The last we checked Buddhist terrorists weren’t trying to blow anyone up!!! A “normal” person may not agree with the foreign policies of the U.S. but he doesn’t try to kill innocent people by stuffing explosives in his nether regions.

  • http://www.deeshaa.org Atanu Dey

    @Anon:

    Which race am I discriminating against when I write “Islamic terrorists”?

    Who is creating divisions? Is it me when I write “Islamic terrorists” to identify that the people who blow up planes are Muslims? Or is it the Muslims who cry “AoA” when they blow up innocent people and claim that they are doing it as part of their jihad against kuffars (kaffirs, unbelievers, etc.)?

    Is it because of some Buddhist that we have to remove our shoes at airport security?

    Is it because of some Jew that we have to dump our little water bottles? Is it because of some Sikh that the TSA gropes our gonads at security? Is it because of Jains that the TSA does full-body scans?

    Which religion divides the world into “believers” who are destined for heaven and the rest into unbelievers who are to go to hell — and which promises eternal conflict between the two till the world is dominated by that single ideology?

    Anon, be very careful that you know what you are up against.

  • Jagadish

    @Anon on 13 Dec,
    We are sick, tired and fed up with this political correctness BS and perennial shying away from facts. Call a spade a spade. 90% of the terror problems today have Islamic roots.

    What about the latest bombing in Sweden – an Islamic fundamentalist.

    9/11 – Saudi based Islamic militants.
    East Africa and surrounding regions – radical Islamic militant factions.
    Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and a few of those terror prone countries – Sunni vs Shia vs other Islamic groups.
    Terror plots in Europe – Islamic radicals.
    The London bombing – Islamic militants.
    Southern Thailand – Malay influenced Islamic radicals.
    Indonesia – a hotbed of radical Islamic fundamentalism in Banda Aceh and other strongholds.
    Philippines – Abu Sayyaf, Moro Islamic liberation front, and other muslim groups.

    And how about the 26/11 Mumbai attacks?

    If you remove all these places on the world map, I’d say the world is really a pretty peaceful place.

    Enough is enough. Islam has its roots in violence, if you deny that, you are lying. There can be no peace or harmony between Islam and the rest of the world according to their principles.

  • Loknath

    Anon,

    I think you must view “Pat Condell’s” videos on youtube to be re-assured. I cannot disagree more that someone like sonia gandhi is competent of sumggling arms and drugs in and out of the United States but that would be with covert support and diplomatic immunity straight from whiteshouse. David Headly is another example but no hindu sounding name would ever find approval. They would be gaoled at slightest hint of protest.

  • Loknath

    Another dimension to this hue and cry over pat down check coming from indian big shots without solicitation is because of their obsession with VIP treatment, gunmen and green channel privileges bestowed onto them at indian airports..as one American security man puts it.. they dont have VIP lounges in American airports..even US senators go through the same routine checks. Our peole were quick at tit for tat arguments.

  • Narsim

    There is very good reason for this hue and cry from India when its diplomats are being frisked.

    Manmohan Singh is really scared that he will be subject to these intense pat downs (after all he wears a turban). The TSA agent patting him down will easily discover that he does not have balls and this report would make it to wikileaks.

  • Anand

    Absolutely hilarious but also absolutely right. I couldn’t help laughing by the end of the post. To add to Atanu’s comment, “Is it because of some Hindu that we have to remove our belts at security?”

    Not to take anything away from Buddhists. I would have become a Buddhist myself a long time, except that I figured I know a little more about monetary policy than the Dalai Lama, who, imho, doesn’t deserve to be head of any state notwithstanding whoever some set of people may think he is a reincarnation of.

  • http://marisolperry.co.cc/ Marisol Perry

    @Anon on 13 Dec, We are sick, tired and fed up with this political correctness BS and perennial shying away from facts. Call a spade a spade. 90% of the terror problems today have Islamic roots. What about the latest bombing in Sweden – an Islamic fundamentalist. 9/11 – Saudi based Islamic militants. East Africa and surrounding regions – radical Islamic militant factions. Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and a few of those terror prone countries – Sunni vs Shia vs other Islamic groups. Terror plots in Europe – Islamic radicals. The London bombing – Islamic militants. Southern Thailand – Malay influenced Islamic radicals. Indonesia – a hotbed of radical Islamic fundamentalism in Banda Aceh and other strongholds. Philippines – Abu Sayyaf, Moro Islamic liberation front, and other muslim groups. And how about the 26/11 Mumbai attacks? If you remove all these places on the world map, I’d say the world is really a pretty peaceful place. Enough is enough. Islam has its roots in violence, if you deny that, you are lying. There can be no peace or harmony between Islam and the rest of the world according to their principles.

  • http://akshar100.wordpress.com Akshar

    In the 9 years of it’s existence TSA has not caught a single terrorist.

    http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/19934