Tag: TSA

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Does Airport Security Really Make Us Safer?

[Vanity Fair says no:][link]

>As you stand in endless lines this holiday season, here’s a comforting thought: all those security measures accomplish nothing, at enormous cost. That’s the conclusion of Charles C. Mann, who put the T.S.A. to the test with the help of one of America’s top security experts.

Experts like Bruce Schneier have been calling what the TSA does “security theater” for 10 years now. The mainstream press just now seem to be catching on.

[link]: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/tsa-insanity-201112 “Does Airport Security Really Make Us Safer? | Culture | Vanity Fair”

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A Waste of Money and Time

[Security professional Bruce Schneier on what really makes plane travel safer, and the difference between theater and reality][link]:

>Of course not. Airport security is the last line of defense, and it’s not a very good one. What works is investigation and intelligence: security that works regardless of the terrorist tactic or target. Yes, the target matters too; all this airport security is only effective if the terrorists target airports. If they decide to bomb crowded shopping malls instead, we’ve wasted our money.

[link]: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/11/22/do-body-scanners-make-us-safer/a-waste-of-money-and-time “A Waste of Money and Time – Room for Debate – NYTimes.com”

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Cargo Collective’s 4th Amendment Wear

[The 4th Amendment printed in metallic ink on shirts, underwear, and socks, to make your TSA encounters more interesting.][link] Just to refresh your memory, the full text of the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution:

>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Can you imagine a modern government writing down anything even remotely like this? THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE doesn’t seem to be a phrase modern politicians understand.

[link]: http://cargocollective.com/4thamendment “4thamendmentwear”

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National Opt-Out Day, November 24th

[For those wondering, it is the official position of Extra Future that these TSA changes are absurd acts of security theater from a government with no respect for it’s citizens. Opt-Out if you’re flying tomorrow and send them a message.][link]

[link]: http://www.optoutday.com/ “National Opt-Out Day”

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Bruce Schneier’s TSA Logo Contest

[I’ll be in the peanut gallery for this one][link]. The prizes are distinctly Schneier:

>Contest ends on February 6th. Winner receives copies of my books, copies of Patrick Smith’s book, an empty 12-ounce bottle labeled “saline” that you can refill and get through any TSA security checkpoint, and a fake boarding pass on any flight for any date.

[link]: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/01/tsa_logo_contes.html “Schneier on Security: TSA Logo Contest”