Following the attacks of September 11th Congress passed the
Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) creating the
Transportation Security Agency (TSA). The TSA replaced private security screening companies with one government agency. Since then air travelers have bowed to pat downs bans on water bottles and other inconvenient intrusive procedures as the new normal" at our nations airports. But does any of this make us safer?
Security Theater and the TSA
Security expert Bruce Schneier coined the term
security theater" to describe some of the TSAs procedures and screening practices. Security theater provides the appearance of enhanced security without actually making anyone more secure.
Since 9/11 the TSA has implemented new screening procedures on an almost constant basis. The structural problem with these new screening procedures is two-fold. First these procedures are almost always in response to past threats not in anticipation of future threats. Second average Americans suffer the consequences for years to come in the form of ever-increasing screening procedures and lost time.
Sadly the TSAs accumulated procedures and screening practices are actually causing more American deaths. Cornell University researchers found decreased air travel after 9/11 led to an
extra 242 road fatalities per month. In all the researchers estimate that 1200 people died as a result of decreased air travel. In 2007 the Cornell researchers studied TSA screening procedures implemented in 2002 and found that they
decreased air travel by 6 leading to an additional 129 road fatalities in the last three months of 2002. In terms of casualties thats the same as blowing up a fully loaded Boeing 737.
Continue reading
The TSA and Security Theater: Understanding American Airport Security Following 9/11 at
Ammo.com.
