The Inanity of the TSA
Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 3:44PM 
As I've said before, when I board my favorite airline, I want a few simple things.
I want to know that my fellow passengers aren't carrying guns, knives or bombs. Beyond that, leave me alone, get me to my destination on-time, and provide at least a modicum of service on the flight.
Instead, TSA and Secretary Michael Chertoff continue to show us that mission creep is alive and well within DHS/TSA, and that kabuki security at airports is in full throttle.
Bruce Schneier, a world renowned expert on security and security technology, has just proven once again how inept we are at producing true security and how great we are at mission creep.
I've always questioned what good it does to check (a) a driver's license or (b) a boarding pass to enter the sterile area of an airport. Sure, not letting people meet arriving passengers makes the concourses less crowded, but it really does nothing for security except reduce the number of people in the sterile area and, I suppose, therefore decrease the possibility that one of those individuals at the airport might be a terrorist.
Schneier has a great blog about security called Schneier on Security. And once again, Bruce has provided an enlightening insight into the TSA mindset, by actually assisting The Atlantic reporter Jeffrey Goldberg evade airport security.
Well, they didn't actually evade airport security because what they did was enter the sterile area with FAKE BOARDING PASSES!
Now there's a threat. Someone using a fake boarding pass to enter the sterile area.
I've often thought of doing that when I needed to meet someone at the airport for a meeting, or just to prove that I can do it. But, I've never had to do it because United Airlines always gives me a gate pass to meet people anyway.
Here's the deal. Those TSO's (Transportation Security Officers) checking your ID and boarding pass at the security area aren't really doing anything to improve your safety or security. It's mission creep. Michael Chertoff likes to claim that TSA catches criminals, illegal immigrants and other undesirables. But that is not their job. The TSA's job should be focused on:
looking for guns, knives and bombs.
Let Customs & Border Patrol, Immigrations & Customs Enforcement, the FBI, and local law enforcement catch the criminals.
Mission creep. Unacceptable. Doing nothing to protect the traveling public.
The Atlantic has a fascinating story about the collaboration between Bruce Schneier and Jeffrey Golberg intentionally trying to get caught at the checkpoint, and failing miserably! Just to give you a flavor, consider this insightful quip from Schneier:
“Counterterrorism in the airport is a show designed to make people
feel better,” he said. “Only two things have made flying safer: the
reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now
to resist hijackers.”
If you're concerned about airport security and the inanity of some of the rules you have to follow at the airports, read: The Things He Carried.
Airport security
in America is a sham—“security theater” designed to make travelers feel
better and catch stupid terrorists. Smart ones can get through security
with fake boarding passes and all manner of prohibited items—as our
correspondent did with ease.
by Jeffrey Goldberg
The Things He Carried
