Human Bombs, What Is The TSA To Do?

The latest threat facing the invincible Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are bombs being surgically implanted in humans.  What are we going to face  the next time we try to board a plane?  An x-ray or maybe a CAT Scan or MRI might work better? Will the threat materialize or is this a straw man constructed by the agency to get more dollars, personnel or equipment? I am sure that no agency would ever try get more power, right?

If we are faced with exploding bodies on planes, it would be disastrous to the air travel business due to the fact that I doubt  frequent fliers would allow themselves to be x-rayed routinely.  What might the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say regarding the safety of the multiple exposures? How long would it take to clear someone through the x-ray process? These and many more questions come to mind.

So, if blasting travellers with rays each time they try to take a plane, what other alternatives would the TSA have?  They would tell you none as they depend on technology to find the "bad guys" regardless of age, sex or malady. Of course, they could have us all strip searched before getting on a plane or we could all travel in the nude, not really a pleasant thought considering the percentage of people in this country who are overweight. So what is a poor overworked, underpaid agency to do?

My suggestion is that they go back to the basics. First of all, do the unforgivable, profile.  It was not five year old children or 85 year old women in wheelchairs who brought down the planes on 9/11. So let's start there.  If the profile changes, so must the screening.

Additionally, screen people like they do in Israel.  When I travelled there last year, we were allowed to take any water or liquids we wanted onto the plane, did not have to remove our shoes or go through back scatter strip searches. Rather they questioned us and looked for our reactions. They were human lie detectors and up to now, their methods have worked pretty darn well. Of course, that would make the agency hire a whole new bunch of inspectors--people who can think.  Can you imagine the uproar when all the current employees were terminated?

The TSA must look at alternatives or they will always be chasing their tail. Whether it is profiling or some other process but the current system must change. It was recently reported that there have been thousands of threats averted over the past ten years. But they also missed the Christmas Day attempted bomber and the shoe bomber. Both of which would have been picked up by the human lie detectors.

One last point, this past weekend I was coming back from Santa Fe and when I looked down on the floor that I had to walk on, it was filthy.  I think it is time for someone to see what petrie dish of infections we are subjected as we walk through the screening line. I think we will find out that we should not walk barefoot and definitely burn our socks after getting home.

What is your opinion?

US: Terrorists look to implant bombs in humans

By Eileen Sullivan July 6, 2011 1:04 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has warned domestic and international airlines that some terrorists are considering surgically implanting explosives into humans to carry out attacks, The Associated Press has learned.
There is no intelligence pointing to a specific plot, but the U.S. shared its concerns last week with executives at domestic and international carriers.
People traveling to the U.S. from overseas may experience additional screening at airports because of the threat, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
"These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same activity at every international airport," TSA spokesman Nick Kimball said. "Measures may include interaction with passengers, in addition to the use of other screening methods such as pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies."
Placing explosives and explosive components inside humans to hide bombs and evade security measures is not a new idea. But there is new intelligence pointing to a fresh interest in using this tactic, a U.S. security official told the AP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security information.
When the U.S. government receives information suggesting terror tactics that could threaten commercial aviation, the TSA alerts companies domestically and abroad. Last December, the U.S. received intelligence that al-Qaida's Yemen branch was considering hiding explosives inside insulated beverage containers to carry them on airplanes. That warning was shared with domestic and foreign airlines so that security could be on the lookout, even though there was no specific plot.
Airport security has increased markedly since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. But terrorists remain interested in attacking aviation and continue to adapt to the new security measures by trying to develop ways to circumvent them.