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Siegfried Says Tiger Attack Was an Accident
Well, I'm glad the tiger attack was at least not a planned part of the show.
In other news:
Airport Bag Screeners Given Test Answers
WASHINGTON - The written tests given potential baggage screeners at airports never asked applicants to show they could identify dangerous objects inside luggage.
In addition, screeners hired by the government to check baggage for bombs were given most of the answers to the tests, according to an internal investigation by the Homeland Security Department.
My favorite of the reported test questions was this:
A second question asked why it is important to screen bags for improvised explosive devices (IEDs). A possible answer: "The ticking timer could worry other passengers." The right answer: "IEDs can cause loss of lives, property and aircraft."
The excuse for why this happened was: "Anytime you have a government undertake a program of this size and scope, it's going to be fraught with problems." I believe this to be true, but that only raises another question: If the government knew that federalizing airport screeners would be "fraught with problems," did anyone ever look into alternate means? Was federalization genuinely thought to be the best possible solution, or were our illustrious officials more concerned about appearing as if they care about "homeland security" than they were actually concerned?
I would like to think that domestic airline hijacking will not happen again. I hope that, if anyone did try to take over a plane, people would know what to do. Before the assumption was that hijacking was an attempt to get money and therefore the best thing to do was to play along. Now the assumption is that hijacking is an attempt to kill as many people as possible; so the best thing to do is stand up and fight, as your odds of dying are already pretty good. Still, news like this is a little scary since I have to fly a decent amount.
Ultimately, the above article has to make one question the validity of automatically assuming that the de facto response to any crisis is immediate government intervention. Government is a human institution and "fraught" with all the perils necessitated by being so.
October 9, 2003 10:02 AM