What is a weapon? Traditionally speaking, a weapon is a knife, gun, explosive or the music of Barry Manilow. However, in the wake of Sept. 11, airports have broadened “weapon” to include all soft rock, as well as nail files, corkscrews and many other items that we never imagined were dangerous.
By now, everybody has experienced the new airport security measures. We’ve been randomly searched, we’ve taken our shoes off and we’ve had innocent belongings confiscated because they fall under the category of “dangerous items.” But even though the security appears tighter, people generally seem tolerant of the process.
OK, so you probably grumbled when you had to take your laptop out of it’s case, and when you got randomly selected for the full luggage search, you were probably a little pissed. However, despite the inconvenience, people just love all that security, and you can tell they love it because they go along with it. The only problem is all the heightened security is utterly useless. That’s right — the new procedures provide little or no added security.
But hey, there haven’t been anymore successful terrorist attacks, right? So the security must be working, right? No. It’s true that no more attacks have taken place since Sept. 11, but the Shoe Bomber managed to clear security after the new measures were instituted, and he was only stopped because the passengers and crew subdued him. The system is full of cracks — even gaps — and they are all too easy to spot.
Over the holiday break, I went through three security checkpoints: one at Boston’s Logan airport and two at Washington National Airport. At Washington National, I was also randomly searched before boarding. Although the security checks were conducted in the same airports under the same regulations, they managed to prove that there is no consistency whatsoever when it comes to airport security.
For each of the checkpoints, my bag had the same contents — the usual clothes and toiletries, as well as a CD burner. I was also wearing the same clothes for every checkpoint.
The first checkpoint I went through was at Logan. My bag with the CD burner went through the X-ray machine without causing any problems. However, my belt buckle set off the metal detector. After demonstrating that it was actually a belt buckle (by taking off my belt), they let me pass. I did not have to remove my shoes.
The next checkpoint was at Washington National. Their X-ray machine flagged my bag because of the CD burner, and the bag was subsequently searched. They approved the CD burner, but while searching my bag, they confiscated a nail file and a corkscrew from my toiletries. My belt buckle did not set off the metal detector, and again, I did not have to remove my shoes.
The third checkpoint was again at Washington National, where my CD burner was flagged for the second time by the X-ray machine. However, instead of checking my bag, they just asked me what was in it. I told them it had a CD burner, and they waved me through without examining it. My belt buckle did set off the metal detector, but instead of demonstrating that it worked, they gave me the once-over with the handheld metal detector and then let me go. Again, without checking my shoes.
Before boarding the plane, I was randomly searched. First they scanned me with a handheld metal detector again — but this one was a different brand (it was a different color and shape), and it did not make a sound near my belt buckle. They also unpacked my bag, but gave no thought to my CD burner and instead confiscated my nail clippers (which had managed to survive the previous three checkpoints). They did make me take off my shoes for a quick look.
Why did I make you sit through a lengthy tale of travel? Well, if you hadn’t already noticed, there was a serious consistency problem with the security. There was even a consistency problem with their equipment — do they really buy multiple brands of handheld metal detectors that react differently?
The fact is all of the new security measures do only one thing: calm the passengers. Honestly, if my dangerous nail clippers slipped through three security checkpoints (without even trying to hide them), then what else do they miss?
If you want a clear picture of how security works, look at your feet. Two months ago, our shoes were not even an issue. Then, some guy tries to get on a plane with a homemade explosive in his sneakers, and all of a sudden, we have to get our feet checked. Security has become a response. It has become passive when it should be aggressive. All new security measures are enacted after the fact. Box cutters are only prohibited after Sept. 11. We check shoes after the Shoe Bomber. Security needs to be anticipating threats so they can prevent them; it should not be a system of trial and error to determine what can and cannot be dangerous. If al-Qaida got through the old security, and the shoe bomber got through the heightened security, then what will get through the heightened anti-shoe security? We need to give terrorists the credit of being clever. We know they have the will; it’s only a matter of time before the current security provides them with a way.
The very nature of security is to prevent harm. Presently, airport security is only screening what we’ve already established to be a threat — not what could be a threat. That “could” is the most dangerous threat of all and should be sought relentlessly. However, here lies the problem: as it stands, Americans feel comfortable with our level of heightened security: It’s obvious enough to comfort us, but not invasive enough to ruffle our feathers. Ultimately, we love thinking we are secure, but we hate being bothered with it. Remember how pissed you were when you had to take off your shoes? Just think of how pissed you’d be if they actually did something useful, like patted you down to find the plastic weapons you could have taped to your thigh — the weapons the existing security wouldn’t catch (not every sharp object is metal). But people really don’t want that. They don’t want to be bothered — and if the people won’t tolerate it, it will never happen.
So, until we actually decide to make some legitimate changes, give my nail clippers back to me before my nails get too long and have to confiscated as well.
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