Comprehensive security

I watched the webcast of the TSA chief's meeting with AOPA. I found myself
going back and forth over his responses to the questions. Why you have to
prove your citizenship to get a glider rating but not to rent a 14 ton
truck? Why can't foreign pilots who fly 747's into and over Alaska do
seaplane training during their layovers?

I'm a writer so have above average understanding of the language that
divides us but I couldn't figure out what his responses had to do with the
questions or even what he was getting at.

I got the general drift of some sort of theory of overall security. Today I
had an experience that suddenly made it crystal clear. He really was making
perfect sense. I just wasn't getting it.

Here is how the comprehensive security he was talking about works:

I was buzzed out onto the ramp and checked to make sure my badge was
visible. Oops! It was still tucked inside my jacket and out of sight. Then,
I got into my lethal 172 and flew around above unwitting citizens heads for
an hour.

I landed and turned the plane over to a new member going for his checkout
and decided to stop along the runway to watch him do touch and gos. There's
a nice parking area that the pre 911 design included for the benefit of
people who like to watch planes.

Within 30 seconds, there was a cop behind me asking what I was doing there.
I showed him my ramp pass and told him that was my plane up there and I was
watching a new co-owner fly it. "Well, you can watch from the terminal.", he
snarled. As I pulled away, he moved back into his cooping spot and I realize
he was irritated because I had interrupted his plane watching with my threat
to public safety.

I drove down to the terminal and turned right onto the old access road that
now deadends along the runway. There are some storage containers along the
fence and a number of people were parked and sitting on their hoods watching
planes.

I went over behind the container and watched my plane fly. I was out of
sight of anyone except pilots on the runway, screened by bushes and the
container. If you were going to take a pot shot at a plane with a rifle or a
stinger, this would be the place. Did I see any cops? Hell no. There weren't
even any tire tracks from vehicles turning around to check this area. The
plane watchers up the road, who could easily be seen from the tower were
clearly settled in for a long session of basking in the sun and watching
planes.

Why is plane watching "dangerous" at the most public and intended place and
not at the one where you could set up a mortar, a fox hole, and a Stinger
battery and probably be there for hours before anyone caught on? If a
policeman is needed full time to chase away plane watchers so they don't
provide coverage for terrorists, which spot should receive priority?

Somewhere in Stone's rambling, I think I got the message. The priority spot
is out by the main road where everyone has to pass by because this will
provide the maximum public reassurance. There aren't the resources to have
cops everywhere. Having one out of sight in the bushes at the end of the
road doesn't meet the true objectives of comprehensive security.


--

Roger Long

Somewhere in Stone's rambling, I think I got the message. The priority
spot is out by the main road where everyone has to pass by because this
will provide the maximum public reassurance. There aren't the resources to
have cops everywhere. Having one out of sight in the bushes at the end of
the road doesn't meet the true objectives of comprehensive security.

Precisely.

Public security, as any cop will tell you over a beer, is an illusion. But
it's necessary to perpetuate the illusion, or society utterly breaks down.

To see this phenomenon in action, check out Haiti currently. Or Watts
during the '68 riots. Or Paris in the French Revolution. As soon as the
facade of public security breaks down, all hell breaks loose.

Now, of course, we must perpetuate the illusion that we are safe from
terrorists. It's been an effective illusion on the American people --
perhaps even working on the terrorists themselves?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

You got it .. window dressing.


"Roger Long" wrote in message
news
I watched the webcast of the TSA chief's meeting with AOPA. I found myself
going back and forth over his responses to the questions. Why you have to
prove your citizenship to get a glider rating but not to rent a 14 ton
truck? Why can't foreign pilots who fly 747's into and over Alaska do
seaplane training during their layovers?

I'm a writer so have above average understanding of the language that
divides us but I couldn't figure out what his responses had to do with the
questions or even what he was getting at.

I got the general drift of some sort of theory of overall security. Today
I had an experience that suddenly made it crystal clear. He really was
making perfect sense. I just wasn't getting it.

Here is how the comprehensive security he was talking about works:

I was buzzed out onto the ramp and checked to make sure my badge was
visible. Oops! It was still tucked inside my jacket and out of sight.
Then, I got into my lethal 172 and flew around above unwitting citizens
heads for an hour.

I landed and turned the plane over to a new member going for his checkout
and decided to stop along the runway to watch him do touch and gos.
There's a nice parking area that the pre 911 design included for the
benefit of people who like to watch planes.

Within 30 seconds, there was a cop behind me asking what I was doing
there. I showed him my ramp pass and told him that was my plane up there
and I was watching a new co-owner fly it. "Well, you can watch from the
terminal.", he snarled. As I pulled away, he moved back into his cooping
spot and I realize he was irritated because I had interrupted his plane
watching with my threat to public safety.

I drove down to the terminal and turned right onto the old access road
that now deadends along the runway. There are some storage containers
along the fence and a number of people were parked and sitting on their
hoods watching planes.

I went over behind the container and watched my plane fly. I was out of
sight of anyone except pilots on the runway, screened by bushes and the
container. If you were going to take a pot shot at a plane with a rifle or
a stinger, this would be the place. Did I see any cops? Hell no. There
weren't even any tire tracks from vehicles turning around to check this
area. The plane watchers up the road, who could easily be seen from the
tower were clearly settled in for a long session of basking in the sun and
watching planes.

Why is plane watching "dangerous" at the most public and intended place
and not at the one where you could set up a mortar, a fox hole, and a
Stinger battery and probably be there for hours before anyone caught on?
If a policeman is needed full time to chase away plane watchers so they
don't provide coverage for terrorists, which spot should receive priority?

Somewhere in Stone's rambling, I think I got the message. The priority
spot is out by the main road where everyone has to pass by because this
will provide the maximum public reassurance. There aren't the resources to
have cops everywhere. Having one out of sight in the bushes at the end of
the road doesn't meet the true objectives of comprehensive security.


--

Roger Long

After 9/11, Massport mandated all aircraft tied down at BED had to have an
external lock of some kind. Also, everyone had to get badged, fingerprinted,
undergo TSA training, and of course pay $75 for the privilege. Suffice it to
say access was pretty tight.

Anyway, I used to have a chain and padlock on the tail of the 172 I co-own
there. One day I found I couldn't open the lock anymore, as the hasp had
been deformed when a windstorm tried to blow the plane away. So I went to
Home Depot and picked up a gigantic bolt-cutter, 36" long and bright yellow.
I entered through the gate, parked, walked across the ramp (right beneath
the tower) carrying my new toy, walked right up to the plane and without
further ado chopped the lock off.

Go figure, nobody stopped by to ask me precisely what I thought I was doing.
Oh, and there's a state trooper office on the field, with at least 1-2
officers there almost all the time, so they could have gotten there very
quickly.

-cwk.

Go figure, nobody stopped by to ask me precisely what I thought I was
doing.

I used to marvel at this all the time.

In my last business, we had over 60 newspaper vending machines in one
county. If one didn't sell well, I'd have one of my guys move it to
another location.

Occasionally, I'd move one myself. I'd simply pull up in my unmarked pickup
truck, back up to the machine that was in front of a restaurant or store,
and -- without further ado -- I'd lift the entire machine into the back of
the truck.

I did this for years. Never -- not even once -- did ANYONE question me, or
what I was doing.

In my experience, if you act like you know what you're doing, you can get
away with almost anything.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

In my experience, if you act like you know what you're doing, you can get
away with almost anything.

A case study in one of my classes (back in the dark ages) was a company that used to
shoplift from stores and then use the examples to help the companies beef up their
security. Two of their employees walked into a Sears&Roebuck and walked out with a
canoe. They got caught when they went back for the paddles. They stated exactly what
you just said -- the key to getting away with it is to look like you're supposed to
be doing whatever you're doing.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:zpcgd.23060$R05.12772@attbi_s53...
Now, of course, we must perpetuate the illusion that we are safe from
terrorists. It's been an effective illusion on the American people --
perhaps even working on the terrorists themselves?

True, but you can't entirely attribute the fact that there has not been a
single successful al-Qaeda terrorist attack on US soil on pure coincidence.

Marco

Anyone who knows anything about national security knows that a terrorist
will not be likely caught at the scene minutes before the act.

Is this all "window dressing?" Sure it is. But it's a relatively small price
to pay to enjoy the freedom we have. Let's just hope the real keepers of our
security that are behind the scenes are doing their job.

Marco Leon


"C Kingsbury" wrote in message
hlink.net...
After 9/11, Massport mandated all aircraft tied down at BED had to have an
external lock of some kind. Also, everyone had to get badged,
fingerprinted,
undergo TSA training, and of course pay $75 for the privilege. Suffice it
to
say access was pretty tight.

Anyway, I used to have a chain and padlock on the tail of the 172 I co-own
there. One day I found I couldn't open the lock anymore, as the hasp had
been deformed when a windstorm tried to blow the plane away. So I went to
Home Depot and picked up a gigantic bolt-cutter, 36" long and bright
yellow.
I entered through the gate, parked, walked across the ramp (right beneath
the tower) carrying my new toy, walked right up to the plane and without
further ado chopped the lock off.

Go figure, nobody stopped by to ask me precisely what I thought I was
doing.
Oh, and there's a state trooper office on the field, with at least 1-2
officers there almost all the time, so they could have gotten there very
quickly.

-cwk.

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 02:53:30 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

In my experience, if you act like you know what you're doing, you can get
away with almost anything.


You hit the nail on the head. In another thread someone stated that
the "war on terror" is more a psychological thing than anything else.
It's the same in this case, and can work against us as much as it
works for us. If you act like you belong there, you can get a way
with murder (literally).

z

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 15:28:06 GMT, "G.R. Patterson III"
wrote:

Two of their employees walked into a Sears&Roebuck and walked out with a
canoe. They got caught when they went back for the paddles.


That's funny!

z