How can we fight "Homeland Security"?

Question

I am so sick of all of the restrictions and all of the misguided fear. I thought that we would've eventually gotten some of our rights back, but it seems they only ever decrease.

Why are we content to fly barefoot and thirsty? Because of two minor incidents that might have possibly taken out one plane, everyone has to take their shoes off and go without water.

Why are people so easily made scared by a few plane incidents? From the 60's on we were averaging perhaps one terrorist attack on airplanes per year. That's a very very low risk. We face a much more real threat from car accidents, muggings and guns than from any form of terrorism.

And isn't the point of terrorism to make us scared? So hasn't the post 9-11 reaction been the greatest victory they could ever hope to achieve?

And let's face it, another 9-11 could never ever happen. If someone even tried to take over a plane now, all of the passengers would attack.

So when can we please return to normal?

Come on, people! Grow up! Do you know how many people die every die? More than 40,000.

If all you care about is saving lives, it's easy. No driving, no flying, you must eat, drink and do as the government tells you for your own safety. You must not leave your house as there are germs and bad people out there.

My rights versus your safety? Well, I'm afraid that having you as a driver means you might run over me. So, in order to have a very small amount of more safety, I demand you never drive again.

There is no more safety. 100,000's of people die every year by gun, knife or fist, and you're worried over the *possibility* of a hundred people dying? Let's see 100/6,000,000,000... wow! You're right! That's a huge risk.

Answer 1

It always amazes me when i come across reactions to security like this one. This type of question usually comes from the person who will scream the loudest when one of their family die in a terrorist attack.

Sun Tzu summed it up, to have peace you must always prepare for war.

I'm afraid the U.S. will be a target for along time, but hey take heart in the fact that the U.K. will be on your side, unlike the years of terrorism we went through in N.I. while you funded the I.R.A.


As the I.R.A. pointed out security forces have to be lucky everytime they (IRA) only had to be lucky once, however, having been there and seen it theres a great difference in a soft target and a hard one, 9 times out of 10 the chance of being caught is sufficient to deter a terrorist, whether that fits with the current climate remains to be seen, however, you have to start with something so you work from the basis that they don't want to be caught, this then gives you the added time for intelligence to root out any threats.

As with any security measure if you've nothing to hide whats your problem? What does it take to take your shoes off? I could imagine ppl complaining if they then had to walk the 10ft to the end of the machine with the floor covered with drawing pins, but that's not being the case? Of course your government could really go to town and have VCP's (vehicle check points) every few miles on all major roads, full body searches at all vehicle terminals (including cavity's).

Personally if its a choice between my family and your suitcase of stuff, im afraid it would be all over the floor for everyone to see.

Answer 2

I'm afraid that "normal" stopped when the first plane hit the first tower on 9/11. The restrictions are ridiculous- my husband worked for a major airlines for almost 35 years and he said the "stepped-up security" was a joke. There are far too many other ways someone could sabotage an aircraft if they really wanted to. The caterers being one flaw in the system, for starters. The increase in "security" was designed for the sole purpose of keeping Americans scared. The money squandered on these so called security measures could have been much better spent doing something that would actually make a difference, such as at least attempting to track people living in this country on expired visas and escorting them to the closest airport for a permanent trip home. The INS needs to keep MUCH better track of resident aliens. This however, would require someone to come up with an actual plan of action, and this administration has proven that it doesn't have even a vague clue as to what that means. Far less hassle to just keep everyone on their toes and in a perpetual state of insecurity by the ridiculous color chart for terrorism risk. If every citizen in this fine country of ours DOESN'T feel that they have been led around like a bunch of sheep for the last 7 years, I would be very surprised.

Answer 3

The safeguards on flights are the least of it and quite tolerable. What bothers me is the surveillance on U.S. citizens which is unconstitutional.

Using their old techniques, the FBI and CIA were aware that the hijackers on 911 were in the country illegally and that they were at flight schools. They also knew a couple of them didn't really need to know how to land. They just failed to act because the FBI and CIA didn't talk to each other. Also, this type of thing didn't seem to be a priority at the time. There were also a lot of imminent warnings from other countries and what they called chatter.

There has been entirely too much power given to the office of the president. There has to be a line drawn that protects our rights under the constitution and restores the balance of power in government. The more power we allow the government to have, the more they will take.

The proposed handling of illegal immigration does not fit in with any of this. What are these people thinking? Are they all of a sudden going to be able to actually enforce these laws and arrest illegals who come afterwards? Especially in view of the fact that there have been laws concerning them all along. Are we really any better off now than we were before 911?

Answer 4

Listen up boys and girls! You have some of the statistics right, but you have your argument all discombobulated. I will gladly get up out of my seat and physically throw anyone off my plane if I'm really uncertain about that persons behavior. That's you included. I want to make it to my destination. We as Americans are not scared. We are cautious.

Ask your second question to the families of the other passengers on those planes. After they are done reaming you a new one, they will tell you any measure which decreases the odds of a weapon making it onto a plane would be worth it.

This is no longer the 60's Shaggy. Wake up! Three decades have gone by. The reason you see low risk is that there are thousands of FBI, NSA and CIA officers and agents working their tails off to keep it that way.

No the terrorists haven't achieved JACK! They just pissed us off enough to go hunting for them.

Take that back, quick. The minute you utter those words, Murphy will put his law into effect and there will be another attack. Why do you even allow yourself to be that ignorant?

Things will never be the way they were. Get used to it. Unless you have something to hide, you have nothing to worry about.

I used to think like you and then I grew up. That was when I was 17, twenty years ago.

Good luck coping.

Answer 5

Things like this have happened before and will happen again. Right now our nation is eagerly trading freedom for security. These two things, freedom and security, are mutually opposed. You cannot ever gain one without giving up the other. Eventually we will trade enough freedom that our nation will resent it and start to become angry. When enough people are angry the government will remember that their authority is reliant on the good will of the people. Or they won't. Either way we will get the freedom back until we begin worrying about security again. If they don't remember who actually outnumbers who then the return of freedom will be allot quicker and messier.

Absolute freedom is total anarchy and absolute security is much worse.

Answer 6

Accept it, NORMAL HAS CHANGED! It's strange that you would say that we won't ever have another 9-11, because I'm sure that is what they thought after the first bombing of the WTC, "we won't ever have another (FILL IN THE BLANK)" is always said and never right. If you think we have infringements on our civil liberties, try other countries for a while and you'll realize just how lax our standards are. As far as the threat to a plane, not s significant risk is easy to say as long as you're not taking any flights. I'm sure that most people will agree that the increased security is well worth the effort if it saves hundreds to thousands of lives.

Answer 7

Terrorism has been in the world since it began and will still be here when this world ends.

You try and minimize it by having an open dialog with people who perceive they have been wrong.

If terrorist want to attack the US, they will, and they can!

I am not living my life in fear, and I wonder why all those who are so interested in taking OUR freedoms from us, are so afraid to make the same sacrifice that millions of service men and women have made, or do they expect only others to do it for them?

I am sure all of the Iraqis we have killed had a real big choice in the matter! 9/11 pales in comparison to the Iraqi's we have killed, and continue to kill, in the name of freedom!

What a crock!

Answer 8

To say that 911 could never happen again is truly ignorant, as is most of the rest of your statement. Which really isn't a question it's a rant. When people don't agree with you then you get rude. Not exactly a way to argue your point. People aren't flying barefoot and thirsty, the shoe thing is very brief and beverages are available after the check point so get your facts straight!

Answer 9

frequently at homestead or on the lunch table with acquaintances. See they are no longer fights via fact the only time we yell is so as that we can hear one yet another over the noise of the people. PLus they are not probably fights cuz we basically positioned out critiques and state information, if we can't come to an contract we conform to disagree and flow directly to the subsequent subject rely. i'm kinda proud that my acquaintances and that i do no longer combat approximately this extra or fairly in line with how long all of us love anime.

Answer 10

The only people who should be upset about homeland security are islamic terrorists. Time to get real..the islamic terror war is not some "concept" designed to "scare the people into submission", it is a very real thing and the point of terrrorism is not only to "scare people" but "ordained" fatwa from islamic religious leaders calling for MURDER of 10 million Americans. To be divided as a country on trivial issues such as this in these times is a very bad idea.