Air-Security Rules Are Not Based on Science

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tsa-dumb-security-rules-not-science-based

The attacks of September 11, 2001, changed everything, especially in air travel. Since that day, the U.S. government has spent billions on technology, enacted rafts of new rules and turned flying into a far more upsetting, complicated procedure than it needs to be.
If it were all based on science and reason, critics might not be calling these new procedures “security theater”—an elaborate show to convince people that the authorities are doing something rather than nothing.

 

Scientific American, no less. The sheeple still won't care.

Going to dinner with Friends in Denial on Saturday. I long ago stopped bringing this stuff up with them. Pointless. If they bring it up, I'll tell them. Otherwise, forget it. They need to get groped.

 

I read this earlier this morning, and while it's a great article, one thing about it bugs the ever-loving (expletive deleted) out of me:

God DAMMIT I wish people would stop using this phrase. This is probably the single worst-offending collection of words in the English language in terms of justifying massive violations of civil liberties whilst simultaneously acting as a get-out-of-argument-free card for those who would have us cowering in fear of our own shadows.

"You can't say that in A POST NINE ELEVEN WORLD!" (World? Not sure that nations outside of the US give that much of a (expletive deleted).)

"That used to be true, but NINE ELEVEN CHANGED EVERYTHING." (Really? Everything? Pretty sure the sky's still blue, the grass is still green, water's still wet and coffee is still the sweet black nectar of the gods.)

"Have you forgotten about NINE ELEVEN?" (No. Believe me, I wish I had, but assholes like you have to keep bringing it up.)

The fact that this author is saying it grants undue validity to everyone else who trots it out to try to prop up invalid arguments in support of TSA, DHS, the PATRIOT Act, and other US abominations of the last 11 (oh no, one of those two numbers I have to be afraid of!) years.

 

I urge you to leave an edited version of this comment at the article.

 

Done.

 

At least thinking people see through this BS. I suspect more people agree with our views than it may seem.

 

I just tell them point blank they're f***ing idiots.

 

Wish I could. But as I say, Friends in Denial are still in my circle. And I can't tell them they're f***ing idiots.

 

At least you probably have more friends that I do.