In the lead story in Human Events today, I discuss the abject failure of our national approach to counterterror:
The chief lesson of the attempted jihad attack on Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day is that our entire anti-terror strategy is a huge and abject failure. Of course, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano would beg to differ, as she has said that the stopping of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempt to set off an explosive on the airplane showed that "the system worked" and "everything happened that should have."The "system worked"? So the "system" now involves hoping that other passengers will tackle the jihadist? After all, a passenger on Flight 253, Jasper Schuringa, subdued Abdulmutallab. The "system" now relies on all of the jihadis' detonators failing, as did Abdulmutallab's? Napolitano's optimism was based on an appalling disconnect from reality that in saner times would result in her dismissal. Barack Obama, by contrast, would be more likely to issue her a commendation, if he weren't too busy golfing and shooting hoops during his Hawaii vacation.
In contrast to Napolitano's fantasies, Flight 253 revealed a massive failure not only of airline security procedures, but also of the larger strategy that America and the West has been pursuing against jihad terrorism.As for airline security procedures, Abdulmutallab was able to get on the airplane without a passport, and with ingredients for an explosive that would have destroyed the plane and killed everyone in it. TSA officials are busy tightening security procedures with new Abdulmutallab-inspired rules such as forcing passengers to stay in their seats for the last hour of the flight, but these new measures will do nothing to prevent another attack. One thing we have seen over the years since 9/11 is that airport security is always one step behind the jihadists: after jihadist Richard Reid attempted to set off a bomb hidden in his shoes, we all have to take off our shoes and send them through security scanners. After a group of jihadists tried to sneak onto planes explosive chemicals hidden in drink bottles, we can't carry drinks through airport security terminals. Because Abdulmutallab attempted his jihad attack just before the plane landed, now we can't get up during the last hour of the flight. The one thing that the TSA should have learned, but hasn't, is that next time the jihadists will do something else, not just repeat what they did before. And even if every passenger were given a full body cavity search, they will find some way to get around it. But attempt a new approach based on sensible profiling? The TSA would rather fold up shop altogether....
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2009/12/netherlands-airport-guards-cheered-911.html
Members of one of the Dutch security companies at Schiphol Airport, Group4Securicor (G4S), are speaking out after the attempted terrorist attack on the US bound plane, for which their company was responsible.
Guards and former guards say that after the September 11 attacks, the only thing that was done was to add more workers, who knew nothing. G4S refused to comment on these accusations.
Belinda Kreugel, who until recently worked for G4S, says that she decided to speak up since the public interest is greater than her personal interest. She says that risk-flights to the US were inspected by beginners, and that people were sent out to do body searches and x-rays after just two weeks of training. Three quarters of the employees have been there for less than a year, after which it becomes too expensive to keep them. Airport administrators repeated these concerns.
One former employee says that some of t he guards sympathized with Islamic terrorists. "Among my colleagues were friends of [Moroccan-Dutch terrorist] Samir Azzouz."
"I saw what happened among the guards during the September 11th attack. In the guard area of the 'security members' a loud cheer rose from Muslim colleagues. Several former colleagues witnessed it. There was a standing ovation. Together with other colleagues I've lodged a complaint about it by the military police."
Two witnesses at the Dutch airport saw Abdulmutallab, assisted by someone, who looked Indian, in the airport trying to get a flight without a visa. He explained that "he was a Nigerian National and blindly thought he didn't need a passport". The person in charge said "he would have to talk with his manager". They walked away...later the witnesses were horrified when they realized Abdullmutallab had gotten on the Delta Flight 253 and was the very one trying to blow it up.
How on earth did this asshat get on without a visa?
I would want to know the name of the manager in charge who let him on the flight without a visa. They're probably Muslim themselves.
Janet Napolitano is a "man-made disaster".
Obama is a "man-made disaster".
Eric Holder..."ditto".
The entire administration..."ditto".
America is in deep trouble.
As Mark Steyn wrote in 'America Alone', we can't rely on bureaucratic government procedures to save us in the air. It will inevitably come down to brave private citizens to take action in the heat of the moment.
Profiling of Muslims is essential and all people who think otherwise are denying the reality of what's happening. Islam declares and dictates that non-Muslims are a legitimate target for killing; far too many Muslims believe this and are taking action to implement this.
Unfortunately, it's going to take another big attack for people to really acknowledge what a failure counter-terrorism measures are.
As Phyllis Chesler wrote: What Next? Body Cavity Searches at Airports?
Yeah, that rule about not getting up during the last hour is beyond stupid. So now the terrorists will know they need to set things up a little earlier. Wooo, big improvement.
Daniel Pipes got it right as well. "Why should we be subjected to all of this security checking? Why don't they concentrate on that "one percent of the population" that is causing all this misery?
Get rid of your stupid Political Correctness". Develop a pre-screening policy that should be "signed by all" to protect the airline from lawsuits and start checking Muslims, Tamils, dark-skinned or olive-skinned or anybody that fits the description, has a bead of sweat on their forehead or looks around sheepishly or nervously.
Check to make sure they have no "no-fly" or "terrorism-watch" warnings. Conduct thoroiugh searches, in private if necessary.
Quit "f**king around" with these idiots or you'll get burned everytime. They are psychopaths and they want to kill a lot of people to become famous martyrs and get their rewards in paradise. How many people have this desire?
How hard can it be to enforce security on these collective serial killers?
Sorry I didn't leave the links for Daniel Pipes in the previous entry:
The System "Worked Really Very, Very Smoothly" in Detroit?
And
Should airport security procedures include ethnic and religious profiling?
Could someone tell me how can I get my comments to show on my page in typepad?
I cannot access the replies made to my comments either.
My knowledge of computer tech is limited.
Intense Debate was far easier to understand.
My thoughts, from a year or so back:
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2008/03/well-then-mak-1.html
And
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2008/03/answering-the-b.html
And
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2008/04/an-old-hippie-w.html
Nice essay, sir.
Reading about our government in action is like watching a movie with the Keystone Cops. When are we - the United States - going to break free of the shackles of Political Correctness and stand up tall? So what if we pull someone aside who matches a profile of an enemy?
In the past the Soviets and Chinese were our enemies, now we sleep in the same bed with them. Heaven forbid we speak badly about them. And now the Muslims. This nation's stupidity and willingness to bend over to please everyone is going to be our undoing.
Don't want to get profiled? Stay home. Don't want to take off your hijab? Go somewhere else.
Robert,
I beg to differ.
The systrem has "sorta" been working all along!
Remember that unbelievable story about passengers crashing one of the planes headed for the Pentagon?
Ha!
I am not into fantasies, but that one was a pip!
John Doe wrote, citing the situation at Schiphol airport:
"I saw what happened among the guards during the September 11th attack. In the guard area of the 'security members' a loud cheer rose from Muslim colleagues. Several former colleagues witnessed it. There was a standing ovation. Together with other colleagues I've lodged a complaint about it by the military police."
.........................
Of all the repellent stories of Muslims cheering the 9/11 attacks, this is the most chilling I have ever heard, for obvious reasons. Were these "security members" investigated? Fired? It doesn't sound like it.
Thanks to Al-Kidya, for again citing Abdulmutallab's *being able to board without a passport*—possession of a passport surely being the most elementary of security measures.
I have great respect for the heroic passenger Jasper Schuringa—but not every flight will have a Jasper Schuringa on board.
And even the stalwart Jasper Schuringa would have been nothing but another victim if not for shoddy Yemeni detonator construction. Is this what we want to base our security on?
Robert, I think it's exaggerating to call the present security system a "failure". The present rules, as modified to deal with innovations like explosives in shoes and in liquid form, have very likely prevented a number of attacks. The real question is whether this is the best we can do, and there I agree with you. For one thing, it relies overmuch on intelligent and honest personnel, willing to enforce the rules without fear of being charged with "racism" or "profiling" (and superiors and courts willing to back them up). In this latest case, the attacker was able to board the plane despite being on a watchlist and not having a passport. Even back on 9-11, several of the attackers -- enough that they might have been unable to take over one or two of the planes -- raised enough "warning flags" that they could have been kept off the flights: they arrived at the last minute, bought a ticket with cash, had no luggage, bought a one-way ticket, and were of Middle Eastern appearance.
Also the points raised by one commenter above about the lack of training and experience of many security personnel, and the numbers of them that are Middle Eastern themselves, are well taken.
I agree that there is much room for improvement in our present procedures; there should be much more use of explosives-sniffing dogs, and of profiling, and of paying attention to watchlists.
"Develop a pre-screening policy that should be "signed by all" to protect the airline from lawsuits and start checking Muslims, Tamils, dark-skinned or olive-skinned or anybody that fits the description, has a bead of sweat on their forehead or looks around sheepishly or nervously." ...
Take it weasy fella..don't get carried away three much in your proposed solution, because it aint that weasy peasy to detect a terrorist:
The only threat to us is coming from MoSlums and no other groups (we deal with the drug hecks later!). Hence, the profiling MoSlums only will save the HomeLand Security a great deal of headache and the money they waste on other things which have a negative earned value factor. The problem with MoSlums is they come in all colors / creeds / and flavors. The terrorists are gone one step ahead and they start to use American names.
Are we suppose to declare our religion on Passports? - I don't think that is smart either. My thinking is that the Bush's admin should have nailed the Al-Quida way back in Pakistan. They trusted the Pakies. We are now paying a very heavy price for that.
Great article Robert. One point to add the NWA bomber was perhaps not that well trained as he could have been. He had spent one year in Yeamon prior to going to study in Britain! He obtained his two year US visa in the US Embassy in London not in Nigeria. I am not buying that he traveled without a passport, because NWA are obliged to check passports prior to boarding a flight. They are not allowed to board passengers without a passport as stipulated by the American Aviation Laws.
The real question is:
How many people out here are excruciatingly embarrassed, having voted for "The Change Guy".
Unfortunately, it seems to be a rather dubious assessment of the security threats we face.
First, of course, we do have meaningful profiling going on already. To possibly suggest otherwise is ludicrous and inane. If our system is nothing but an abject failure, then we would certainly have far more calamities and deaths than we've had.
Based on my travels, which included Yemen several months ago, I have been profiled, as a result of such travels, at U.S. airports as well as at Amsterdam Schiphol. The Dutch there, I must say, overall have been quite thorough and professional. And have put me through quite of bit of security review and secondary examinations. Unfortunately, they're not perfect, and lack of perfection can have an ugly price in this situation. But nobody will be perfect. Mr. Spencer, of course, is far from perfect as well, as I have outlined in some detail here during the past few months.
The other issue, a rather interesting irony, is that if 'sensible profiling' is supposedly where our salvation lies because terrorists are getting around so many other security procedures, then guess what? Some of them are going to get around profiling as well at some point.
Of course we cannot do cavity searches on all passengers and that is why once again we must throw out the political correct lunacy that wants to avoid profiling which is our achilles tendon.
The watch lists that are made up cannot be put in someones computer and not be made instantly accessible by TSA Screeners, it is fool hardy and self defeating (gee it sounds like commonsense to me).
I am reminded how the Bush Administration worked to make sure all agencies where talking to each other after it was found there was a wall between these agencies which hindered the ability to track the 9-11 hijackers within the US. Still the liberals in our congress fought to tie the hands of President Bush as he brought in "The Patriot Act" in struggling efforts to track any potential terrorist threats to America.
My fear today is that those same liberals are running the store now thanks to an un-educated block of voters who failed to recognize that our greatest need in this great nation is national security.
Representative Peter Hoekstra made the startling point yesterday that the Obama Administration is not sharing security matters with the intelligence committee which he said is unheard of. See here:
http://www.breitbart.tv/gop-congressman-blames-obama-for-attempted-bombing-of-northwest-flight/
And fool hardy politically correct hacks in the Obama Administration insist on using blank terms like man made disasters, or contingency operations and refuse to define the enemy for what he is; an Islamic terrorist, or an Islamist.
This insane foolishness has got to stop!!
I thought it was McCain who promised the 'gates of hell'