by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
Are authorities at the Transportation Security Administration just being practical, or are we slowly losing our memory of 9/11?
WaPo: TSA Would Allow Sharp Objects on Airliners
A new plan by the Transportation Security Administration would allow airline passengers to bring scissors and other sharp objects in their carry-on bags because the items no longer pose the greatest threat to airline security, according to sources familiar with the plans.
In a series of briefings this week, TSA Director Edmund S. “Kip” Hawley told aviation industry leaders that he plans to announce changes at airport security checkpoints that would allow scissors less than four inches long and tools, such as screwdrivers, less than seven inches long, according to people familiar with the TSA’s plans. These people spoke on condition of anonymity because the TSA intends to make the plans public Friday.
Faced with a tighter budget and morale problems among its workforce, the TSA says its new policy changes are aimed at making the best use of limited resources.
That last paragraph sends a chill down my spine. The TSA workforce has a job every bit as important as the one being done by our men and women in uniform abroad. When you meet a U.S. Marine, on duty or off, you’ll quickly notice a sense of patriotic pride, job dedication and appreciation for ‘the corps’ that influences their every action and utterance. Conversely, it seems as though the average TSA agent at any airport in the U.S. has just as much pride in the position they hold as does the teenager who works for the local 7–11 store. I believe this adversely affects the attitude of air travelers, who become increasingly annoyed with the process of entering secure zones at an airport. Couple this with the fact that a large percentage of travelers fly less than once a year and are unfamiliar with way security lines work. Most don’t remember to remove items from pockets or take their shoes off when walking through metal detectors. These ignorant mistakes collide head-on with fumbling pat-down search procedures by less than excited TSA agents who have their own unique communication problems. Ultimately tempers rise, altercations occur and our security suffers.
Instead of loosening security requirements to improve worker morale, the TSA should recruit and train better people. Incentives should be provided for those who join the TSA, in the same way that U.S. Servicemen and women receive college tuition. In return, TSA workers commit to a ‘tour’ of duty, and should be required to pass regular service benchmarks if they are to grow in rank, increase their compensation, or receive additional benefits once they leave the agency. If we treat the TSA the same way we treat any one of our other armed services, the dedication and commitment to keeping our homeland safe and secure will increase, and we’ll all be safer as a result.
After all, isn’t it important to do anything and everything we can to prevent a repeat of 9/11?
by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
The kind folks at GOPBloggers.org sent along this little ditty today. Have at it!
by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
Kicking the dog whilst he is down.
Of all people, Judy Belushi Pisano, the widow of comic genius John Belushi, comes out of the woodwork to heap dirt on Bob Woodward. In fact, a lot of people who were involved with the book “Wired” get in on the game.
It’s unlikely that Woodward will realize an uptick in royalty income on the mention of this title which was published in 1985. The going price for a used copy on Amazon is a whopping 49 cents.
by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
This is good news.
AP – German Chancellor Seeks Closer U.S. Ties
Signaling a change in style, Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged Wednesday to put aside past differences between Germany and the United States even as she pressed for the Bush administration to take seriously European concerns about alleged CIA prisons in Europe.
“Let the battles of the past lie — those battles have been fought,” Merkel said in her first speech to parliament as chancellor. “As far as the future is concerned, the new government will work with all its strength for a close, honest, open and trusting relationship in the trans-Atlantic partnership.”
Willkommen zurück zu der Falte mein freund.
by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
A comment posted at Lucianne.
“Ask a dem: you want to get out but you think Bush WANTS us to stay, in large numbers, for years? He wants our troops to be on the front line indefinitely, wants our people picked off, wants a good bit of our national treasure spent to maintain a massive force that many Iraqis may come to resent? Is that what he wants?
Only an idiot would say, yes, that’s what Bush wants.
The truth, of course, is that the Iraqis are being weaned and our footprint there will likely diminish over the next year or two. Exactly as planned. And the dems and lib media will take credit for forcing this stubborn president to listen to the ‘people’.
God, I hope many/most Americans see through this pathetic attempt by dems to take credit for something they had nothing to do with.”
by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
Coming soon to a plastic surgery clinic near you.
by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
She’s wearing her “I’m a Moderate” T-Shirt again today.
Without a sense of wind direction, Hillary chooses to hold both positions on Iraq, and for now, she’s willing to adopt even more (depending on how the polls read, of course).
In a way, her 1,600 word letter to New Yorkers is simply a long winded version of “I voted for the war before I voted against it”.
Breathtaking!
by PunditGuy | Nov 30, 2005 | General |
So, it’s come to this.
Pressured by public opinion, the ankle biters in the Democratic Party, and wimpy, skitish Republicans, President Bush released a 35 page policy on Iraq today that defines victory, identifies the enemy, and cites the political and economic progress being made in the country.
Every step of the way I’ve held strong support for Bush, our troops, and the war on terror. I haven’t forgotten about 9/11. I believe the fight against terrorism is worldwide; the battlefield is global. Yet, I’ve have a long list of “woulda, coulda, shoulda’s” surrounding the way the war has been waged. The bottom line is, I wish that Bush had spelled all of this out earlier. This public report would have been perfect if only it was released on May 2, 2003, just after the president’s speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. While I’m sure the specifics of the plan would have been criticised then just as it is now, the delivery of the work would have been a great example of leadership. Timing is everything. Talk about a missed opportunity…
The publication of this plan is nothing more than a public relations ploy to quell discontent, and although it’s hard to say it, this maneuver seems awkward at best. I’m embarrassed by it and I hate that.
There’s lots of other folks talking about this today. Here’s just a few:
| Gateway Pundit | Right Wing Nut House | All Things Conservative | GOP Bloggers | Bill Hobbs | QandO | Below the Beltway | The RCP Blog |
by PunditGuy | Nov 29, 2005 | General |
According to Al Jazeera, Peace Activists have been taken hostage in Iraq, this time by a previously unknown group of terrorists. Video taken of the Western hostages was broadcast today, confirming the identities of the individuals who are affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams.
MORE: Bareknucklepolitics | Protein Wisdom | All Things Beautiful |
by PunditGuy | Nov 29, 2005 | General |
Man gets 5,000+ channels on 12 dishes (via Boing Boing)
