more on tsa and lighters

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Thomas Leavitt <thomas () thomasleavitt org>
Date: December 3, 2005 2:13:49 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Digest 1.856 for ip

Dave asks: "why did we ever elect clowns like this who
want to ban small sharp objects but allow forks and plastic knives
and glass drinking glasses  etc."

The same reason we elected clowns who banned lighters, out of fear that
terrorists would have an easier time using them to ignite explosives
than matches... when, aside from the apparently mentally disturbed guy
who tried to light his shoes on fire, I doubt I could find a single case
of a recent terrorist event where the explosives in question were not
"ignited" by a detonator (probably electrical) of some sort.

"They've also taken away 8.1 million lighters, the only item prohibited
by law. Congress, concerned that terrorists would have an easier time
igniting a bomb with a lighter than with matches, enacted the ban."

When was the last time we heard of a suicide bomber igniting their
explosives with a match or a cigarette lighter? Does anyone think the
IEDs alongside the roads in Iraq are being "ignited" by lighters somehow
turned on by a cellphone call? Can anyone seriously picture a terrorist
trying to flick a lighter and ignite a stick of dynamite, in the face of
a rush from angry terrified passengers?

With the proliferation of handheld electronic devices, I have my doubts
that a TSA screener is going to be able to easily distinguish an
electronic detonator from an iPod Nano... so maybe it might be better to
simply ban all consumer electronic devices from airplanes... but then,
maybe we'll get a terrorist that has somehow programmed his pacemaker to
also be a detonator.

Thomas


From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: more on  sorry Congress may try retain airliner "scissors" ban
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 15:46:15 -0500

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/12/02/passenger.screening.ap/index.html

Begin forwarded message:

From: Paul Levy <plevy () citizen org>
Date: December 2, 2005 2:14:55 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Congress may try retain airliner "scissors" ban

Was there supposed to be a link in here?

Paul Alan Levy
Public Citizen Litigation Group
1600 - 20th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 588-1000
http://www.citizen.org/litigation

> > > David Farber <dave () farber net> 12/2/2005 2:11 PM >>>
Do read this and then ask why did we ever elect clowns like this who
want to ban small sharp objects but allow forks and plastic knives
and glass drinking glasses  etc. My reading is for once TSA has it
right.

Dave

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