In other news, I see the Dutch (and Obama) have finally seen the light
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091230/ap_on_re_us/us_airliner_attack
HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost Forget safety. This is what is important. DeMint has been holding up the nominee for head of TSA because he fears they may become unionized. Sometimes we just don’t understand what is important.
From your own citation:
God forbid you blame Americans for anything.
Your apology is accepted
Your communication and reading comprehension skills are poor.
This is true, DeMint is holding up Erol’s confirm because he doesn’t want TSA unionized, fearing that it would a) limit flexibility to perform airport security, and b) strengthen unions whose members tend to vote Dem.
But Obama didn’t even nominate him for 8 months in. I know Gale, she’s not bad, but she isn’t about to rock any boats as an ‘acting’. I don’t think it matters who was in charge wrt this latest issue - the problem is that we weren’t willing to take the measures necessary until it gets put up in our face (ie, backscatter, and soon air marshals). Similar to our pre-9/11 context; boxcutters? unlocked cockpits? wtf?
OK, we implement the Smashy Plan. (I’m OK with naming it after you, just so longs its not named after me…)
So, we get an air marshall on every plane “privileged” to land in America while originating in a foreign country. Goody. How many is that, anyway? Lets just say a thousand, for now, since we are more or less spitballing here. OK, well, then thats a dead minimum of a thousand new air marshalls to train up. Specialized training, very intensive, gotta be able to carry lethal force and proceed in a sensible, calm manner in an airplane full of screaming, panicked passengers and bring lethal force to bear on the culprit(s). No guarantee theres only one, after all. Maybe if the attendant announces that all passengers who are not terrorists or air marshalls should sit quietly and not block the aisles, so that the air marshall can get a good clean shot. Yeah, that’ll work. “Gobaccka Siddowna” was how they did it in Airplane.
How long to train such? A while, I guess.
Oh, and you will need a bunch more, because the air marshalls will have to fly back to the foreign place to be ready for the next go-around, right? And they will probably be unionized, so as to expect stuff like days off, sick leave…oh, those cigar chomping union bosses, how they hate America! So at least double the first number. And they guys who get Australia duty will accumulate enough frequent flier miles to go to Saturn. And back.
Anyway, these guys are highly trained specialists, yes? Not working for minimum wage like the poor dumb shmucks who work in screening, oh no. So, what? $50-60K a year? Plus all those socialist union bennies (oh, those evil cigar chomping labor bosses…) Fly to Perth, layover, fly back as an on-duty sky marshall, take a couple days to get over jet lag, repeat? (Gotta have time to get over jet lag, gotta be in tip-top shape!..)
And here’s the kicker: ninety-nine point nine nine nine of the time, they will be doing absolutely nothing. Nothing! Zero, zip, zilch, nada damn thing. Probably be forbidden to do anything, gotta stay alert and focused to perform the function that, in all probability, you will never, ever be called upon to perform.
Great. Heckuvva plan, Smashy! Hell, I feel safer already. Or I might, if I ever flew anywhere, which I don’t.
We could institute naked, full cavity searches for anybody boarding a plane. But since we don’t check the luggage being hauled, we will never be safe. Then rocket launchers are available to damn near anybody who can afford one and wants it badly enough. Flying has an element of danger.
We offered a 25,000 dollar bonus for Iraqi Al Queada. There were plenty of people turned in for money that were innocent. We put them through hell. For some reason they and their relatives are pissed off at us. Some of them may not be recidivists but looking for vengeance.
Well, you certainly sound qualified to have this discussion!
(sorry, just channelling the Dem chickenhawk line that antichrists like Bush et al who have never served aren’t qualified to implement military operations…)
BTW you’re right. If it can’t be absolutely perfect from day 1, then might as well not do it at all. Especially since the vulnerabilities are classified, ie it’s not like the terrorists can google this stuff. Good one.
Way to keep focused on the discussion, Smashy. You get a gold star.
:rolleyes:
Oh come now, Mr Smashy, everyone knows the antichrist is at least competent.
It’ll take Jesus to make a fool of him, while it only takes a bin Laden or a Saddam Hussein to make a fool of Bush.
You misspelled “Rep” and “Clinton.”
The system did work. It wouldn’t have really detected that underwear bomb anyways and the guy boarded outside of the US where, presumably, they are not under US law nor subject to our procedures.
Well under the Mr. Smashy plan, we would bend the will of sovereign nations to our desires. I wonder what American President has done that before, in recent history.
Things that make you go hmmm…
Dem chickenhawks? We are in Bizarro World.
It does not matter. It is Obamas fault. We have to find a way to make ourselves 100 percent safe. If we don’t it is because the Dems just don’t love war enough. Bush was president when 911 hit. But it was the Dems fault. They just didn’t give him the power he needed.
That is not safe enough.
We must all be 110% safe!
For extremely limited definitions of “set off an explosive device”.
When I set off an explosive device* and it sets anything, including my dick, on fire* instead of going BOOM!, well, I tend to mark those down as serious failures of the explosive device.
CMC fnord!
*Not that I’ve ever set off an explosive device 
and in my long history of not setting off explosive devices I’ve never had anything, including my dick, catch on fire. :dubious:
Teh stupid, not only does it hurt, it burns.
I just talked to my neighbor, who is co on a triple-7 that does only int’l flights. I was wondering how much extra time to allow for security, I heard it was bad and I’m going to Vegas Tues morning for a conference (and golf of course…).
He said that it’s about 30 extra min as they are patting down more and checking a lot more bags now. Further, he said that int’l, they check every person now w/patdown and bag check. Good. Further he said they now have marshals on a lot more flights starting OCONUS and coming here, including some countries that previously didn’t want that and frankly surprised the hell out of me.
Anyway, it appears that this incident has woken us up, at least until American Idol or whatever starts up and the short-attention span theater of USA gets distracted.
[jingo]America, fuck yeah![/jingo]
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=35025
No worries, Newt Gangrene is on the job!
This droll touch must not be overlooked:
Newt the feminist. Yeah. Right. Sure thing.
There are numerous other examples of patriotic Americans who are ever-vigilant as regards the failures and incompetence of the Obama Regime, and can be depended upon to ensure that no American is complacent and unaware about the threat posed by weak liberal do-gooders. And as soon as they unearth the connection to ACORN and the ACLU, you will hear about it toot damn sweet.
America is awakened! Crazy as a shit-house mouse, but wide awake!