The Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit has shown exactly how ineffective most of the post-September 11 security measures have been in providing actual security, even as passengers flying in its aftermath experience even more stringent security theater.
“The system has worked really very, very smoothly over the course of the past several days,” Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday in media interviews. “In many ways, this system has worked.”
Today she backed off of those assertions. “Our system did not work in this instance,” she told NBC. “No one is happy with that.”
Now that many of the details of what took place have emerged, we can see exactly how this so-called security failed.
Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, 23, of Nigeria, attempted to detonate a powerful explosive sewn into his underwear while on Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit as the flight was preparing to land Christmas Day. His chemical detonator failed to set off the explosive, and the passengers and flight crew put out the fire and restrained him.
It is currently believed that AbdulMutallab was radicalized while at university in London. He is alleged to have traveled to Yemen earlier this year for terrorist training, and at the time told his family that he was cutting off all ties with them. In recent years Yemen has emerged as a terrorist hotbed which its government has been unable to control, leading the United States to lend military assistance.
At the time, his parents reported his behavior to the U.S. embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, and he was placed in the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment database, which contains pretty much everything the U.S. knows about known or suspected terrorists. Much of the information in the database is incomplete and inaccurate. Despite the fact that AbdulMutallab had a valid U.S. visa, which should have caused his information to be forwarded to the Terrorist Screening Center for possible inclusion in the selectee list or no-fly list, this did not take place.
On Christmas Eve, AbdulMutallab returned to Lagos and bought a ticket to Detroit via Amsterdam. The Homeland Security database gave him the green light to fly.
It’s long been known that current airport security measures are woefully incapable of stopping a determined attacker from bringing explosives through security and onto a plane.
And the heightened security measures in effect for the last few days, while they might or might not have stopped this particular attack, are much like closing the barn door after the horse gets out.
The only two things that have actually improved aviation security, says security expert Bruce Schneier, are reinforced cockpit doors and passengers who resist attempted attacks. “This week, the second one worked over Detroit,” he wrote.
None of the security measures that actually work require the massive Homeland Security bureaucracy, the nearly irreversible loss of privacy and freedom, the misidentification of thousands of innocent Americans as potential terrorists, or even taking off your shoes.
The biggest failure of all, of course, is the one nobody is talking about: the U.S. foreign policy of interfering in the Middle East and manufacturing terrorists out of thin air by making enemies of ordinary people. Until the U.S. changes its foreign policy, expect more terrorist attacks.
Given the fact that most of the many layers of “security” the government provides are ineffective, useless, or just simple security theater, it’s going to be up to the rest of us to provide for our own security, as best we can.
["Schiphol Plaza" photo by Shirley de Jong; CC BY-SA 2.5]
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When neoconservative Ben Stein accused Congressman Ron Paul of being antisemitic for merely wanting to ask WHY Islamic terrorists want to attack the civilians living under western governments that have meddled in the Mideast, the members of the Conspiracy could not sit by silently.
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Janeko Jarateng'
Dec 28, 2009
This kid did not do this for money. His father has it ALL and could have bought him anything to stop this desparate activity. And that is the scary part! How many young African, Asian, Australiain, European and even American kids are being radicalized in the same fashion!!!???
As we ponder the reasons for these determination by a few fundamentalist to change the world by blowing everything up, we also need to find out how these people can be STOPPED. In essence, where is radicalism coming from, and why does it prevail?? Can we purely blame religion(s) or politics or human nature or all of them things and mat be more!!!!
Until we can answer those questions and provide concrete solutions, no amount of high-tech screening or bombing will solve these problems.
Anne cooper
Dec 28, 2009
When is the president and the US congress going to realize not everyone in this world wishes us well. There are people that hate us and will do anything to destroy us, to think different is to be ignorant of history.
Michael Hampton
Dec 28, 2009
Those people hate us BECAUSE of what the president and US congress have done, in this administration, in the Bush administration, and going all the way back to the 1950s. That’s where your failure is. Supporting these idiots in Washington actively creating more enemies is self-destructive, and that’s the path the US is on.
akaGaGa
Dec 28, 2009
it’s going to be up to the rest of us to provide for our own security, as best we can. This will apply equally well to our entire society, as the protests occurring in Iran move to our country.
Dec 28, 2009
Liberty Conspiracy – 12-28-09 Air Security: Govt. Sloth v Private Enterprise | Homeland Stupidity
Bob
Dec 28, 2009
Actually Michael, our foreign policy has probably attracted their attention, but they would hate us regardless. We are infidels.
We are not dealing with a “live and let live” type of people. Backing off and leaving them alone, at this point, will not make the problem go away. It would probably make the problem worse because it would be seen as a sign of weakness.
I don’t know what the answer is, but there will be no peace with the world of Islam.
Michael Hampton
Dec 29, 2009
There was peace with the “world of Islam” for over a century until Truman and his successors destroyed it by trying to remake the Middle East in their own image. I know of no historical examples of the sort of hatred you’re talking about prior to that, and I’d appreciate your sharing your knowledge of same, if you have it. If you don’t, then perhaps you should consider the possibility that you’re entirely mistaken.
Dec 29, 2009
The System Worked—Not « Cynical Synapse
Dec 31, 2009
TSA withdraws subpoenas over leaked security directive | Homeland Stupidity
Bob
Jan 01, 2010
Happy New Year, Michael. We’re both right on the “peace with Islam” issue because neither one of us is showing the whole picture in our statement.
There was peace with Islam for a hundred years before Truman….. but during the Dark ages, Islam had grown and conquered half of Europe.
I say in my statement that the Moslem religion preaches that the infidel has no rights and should be treated like dirt, but really the same can be said for most religions. “If you’re not one of us, you’re the bad guy.” That’s a pretty common outlook.
Really, there is no peace with anybody. All cultures and religions are constantly trying to throw their weight around and expand. However, the Middle East has the only culture and religion to date that produces suicide killers on such a large scale. You have to admit, that takes hatred to a new level. If I had a neighbor who would blow us both up if I pissed him off, and taught his kids to think the same way, I don’t think we would have a very trusting relationship. I don’t think I would like him. Might even burn him out…..but that’s just me.
I’ve just always bristled whenever the US is painted as a big ruthless bully and everyone else is painted as a poor innocent victim.
It’s just not that way.
All groups in this world, work to get the upper hand and do as THEY wish when they get it. As dominant powers in history go, the US has been the kindest and most generous, hands down.
We’re human beings. There will never be peace as long as we are running things. To think otherwise is ignoring all of documented history.
Michael Hampton
Jan 01, 2010
You should have seen the Christians during the Crusades, the Inquisition, the witch hunts, I could go on. Obviously that means Christians are all still hate-filled killers, even after all the intervening centuries. Right?
The reason, of course, that the U.S. no longer still has peace with the Middle East is that it stopped being neutral. Obviously the reasons seemed good to somebody at the time, though time has proved them an abject failure, just as Thomas Jefferson warned us.
Returning to that neutrality which enables peace does not in any way mean that the U.S. has to back down from anyone who attacks it. It does mean giving up hegemony and aspirations of empire, though. The thousands who died on 9/11 and in the subsequent fighting might consider it a fair trade.
Bob
Jan 02, 2010
“I say in my statement that the Moslem religion preaches that the infidel has no rights and should be treated like dirt, but really the same can be said for most religions. “If you’re not one of us, you’re the bad guy.” That’s a pretty common outlook.”
I should have specified that I was including Christians in this statement.
“The reason, of course, that the U.S. no longer still has peace with the Middle East is that it stopped being neutral. Obviously the reasons seemed good to somebody at the time, though time has proved them an abject failure, just as Thomas Jefferson warned us.”
Yep. Bang on. We needed a cheap, stable supply of oil. Oil is the commodity that all growth and technological development is based on. Most people don’t fully appreciate that.
We were willing to buy it and help produce it but we needed to tweek their governments a little bit so we could do business. You can’t be renegotiating contracts every few months with a new tyrant tribal chief. They got rich and we got oil but it sure turned in to a mess. Thomas was right. Don’t mess with the Prime Directive.
I just don’t think we can go back. That’s my opinion, reached after 45 years of experience, human observation and historical study. Doesn’t mean I’m right. Lots of little pandora’s box parables I could use here to back myself up and expressions like “you can’t go home again” and “opening a can of worms” but we won’t know for sure until somebody tries it. Pull out, pull back, turtle up and hope for the best.
I’ve never seen a crazy fanatic who was hell bent on beating the crap out of somebody suddenly turn in to that person’s friend when they tried that turtle move, but you never know. If we keep going like this financially, it will be the only move we have left.
Jan 09, 2010
Brown gives go-ahead for full-body scanners at Britain’s airports | Politics | The Guardian « meDOTcom – Weblog
fleeb
Jan 14, 2010
Actually, Michael, the West has had an uneasy relationship with Muslims for a very long time.
To illustrate this, you might pick up a copy of The Song of Roland.
You might also do well to remember the Crusades.
The United States might have had something of a pass for a while, but it was kind of a minor country until shortly after WWII.
But, not all the blame belongs to western civilization. Muslims themselves have a terrible way of getting along with others. A good study of the practice of zoroastrianism in Iran’s history would show you exactly how Muslims would treat all religions given their preferences.
I believe Islam is an invasion force masked as a religion.