Beyond Stupid

17 August 2005



TSA’s “No-Fly” List Keeps Babies Grounded

As part of the nation’s effort to keep the skies clear of terrorists, the Transportation Security Administration has come up with a list of people who are not allowed to fly commercial airlines in the US. The TSA says these people are security threats. A good idea, however, when implemented badly is counter-productive. In its zeal, the TSA has created a name-based system that manages to keep children who have yet to celebrate their first birthdays from flying because, based on their names, they are a threat to national security. If one listens carefully, one can hear Usama bin Laden laughing in his luxury cave in Pakistan.

It has been almost four years since the Al Qaeda attacks on the US. In that time, US air travelers have put up with a great deal of inconvenience. Almost every bit of it, from surrendering nail files to taking off one’s shoes, has been accepted by a public convinced that its safety was the primary concern. The latest news suggests that the guardians of America’s air safety are, to put it in genteel terms, incompetent to the point of stupidity.

Fighting terrorists is a messy and confusing business. Unlike regular military forces, the enemy doesn’t wear an identifying uniform and doesn’t fight by the rules of war handed down from generation to generation. And as a result, those who normally wouldn’t be considered military threats must be treated as such just to be on the safe side.

A 43 year old, grey haired man with a bit of a gut may not be GI Joe, but he is certainly capable of committing an act of terror. If there is reason to believe he might, or if he is voluntarily entering a place that is especially vulnerable (say a jet aircraft loaded with fuel), by all means let the authorities assure themselves that the potential threat he poses is not a real threat. But precisely what threat military or otherwise does an 11 month old child pose? A soiled diaper is not quite chemical or biological warfare (close, perhaps sometimes, but not quite).

Yet, this has happened repeatedly according to CNN and the Associated Press. Sarah Zapolsky’s 11-month-old child was on a government list delaying her departure from Dulles not long ago. Ingrid Sanden's 1-year-old daughter was stopped in Phoenix, Arizona, a few months ago. It would be one thing if an under-trained minimum wage inspector made a mistake. Instead, the TSA has a policy in place that prevents these kids from flying; a misallocation of resources in wartime that prevents adequate prosecution of that war. So the question arises, which side is the TSA actually backing here?



© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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