For years, I've been surprised that there hasn't been a major subway attack in our country. It would be so easy to do as seen in London. I'm not quite sure how to really protect the public from these attacks but I'm pretty sure, halfass bagchecking measures are not the answer. Much like Bush and Co. used 9/11 to invade Iraq, imprison people all over the world, and ramrod the Patriot Act down our throats, the NYPD commish Ray Kelly is happy to seize on the devastation in London to enact his dreams.
"The reality is, you need an event such as London for people to realize this is a procedure put in place for their safety. Searches are intrusive. The issue is what the public will accept. You still need an event to get public support."
Ah yes, the ever popular "give away your rights for your safety" line of reasoning. Hey, if it is good enough for the Federal Government, why not the NYPD?
But even if people are okay with giving up a little privacy for security, what makes these clowns think that this will actually work?
"There are three reasons for doing this," said Mark Juergensmeyer, a security expert at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "First, that you actually hope to discover a bomb. Second, to give the impression to a bomber that it will be difficult to succeed. And third, to give the appearance or illusion of security to make the public happy."
"Probably the third is the most important," added Professor Juergensmeyer, the director of the university's global and international studies program. "Don't discount the importance of that."
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly acknowledged as much in an interview yesterday, saying deterrence was not the only intention of the program.
"I see it also as giving some comfort to the riding public," he said. "We actually had people who came over and volunteered to have their bags checked - kind of supporting the process."
Wonderful. People are showing their bags to the police! I wonder if any of the fine citizens volunteering their bags were courteous suicide bombers. What a load of shit this all is. And they aren't even checking at every stop. Do they really think that a terrorist who sees that he can't get on a train at Wall. St is so dumb that he can't head into Brooklyn to get on a Wall St. bound train to then detonate his bomb? It reminds me of the bullshit that goes on every game at Yankee Stadium. You are not allowed to bring in a bag to the game. If you have a plastic bag, they make you empty out your possessions into a clear plastic Yankees/ Visa/ Adias bag for no discernible reason.
To alleviate some of my fears, I probably wouldn't mind if they actually frisked everyone that came through the doors or had bomb sniffing dogs or something. But this sort of mindless PR security measure serves no purpose other than to pay the NYPD overtime for bullshit.
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9 comments:
I dunno, I'm pretty much in the "Nothing to hide, nothing to fear" school of thought. Of course it's annoying and frustrating to be checked over by the cops but the average contents of my bag when i get on the subway would make for remarkably dull viewing, and I'm quietly pleased that anything at all is being done, higher police profile or whatever.
In the other hand I ride the same bus in Brooklyn virtually every day, I see pretty much the same people, recognise the driver etc etc. If anyone wanted to hurt people then a remote bus route would be an option. Today i had to carry home a box containg a bedspread which was about 3feet by 2 feet. Just imagine what could have happened if i was a terrorist?
I aslo remember feeling quite jittery about the time of the London bombings and could sense it on my fellow passengers too.
These are truly interesting times.
so you must be one of those generous folks who gladly would show your bag to the police. i didn't think you would so easily fall for pr claptrap.
Can't speak for anyone else but if I die, I die. Its more of a remote chance at this point in my life than it has been for me in the past (given where I live now versus where I have lived) but I just can't go through life thinking that my untimely demise would be a sadness and tragedy for more than just a handful of people. So essetially cut the feelgood bolting of stable doors after horses have bolted, oh authorities. Searching bags randomly (and of volunteers! Nice highlighting of irony Listo) does nothing and is a misuse of police resources. I see from the news most searches take place on the concourse. In a slow moving line waiting to have one's bag checked is a good a place to detonate a bomb as a subway car. And if security seems too tight, it'll be a suicide bomber walking into the lobby of a hotel, or the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, or a police station, or....
Statistically we are more likely to die from sudden strokes brought on by all this narcissistic fear and worry than from terror attack. And if one does die at the hands of terrorists, the way most folks bang on about it you would think it would be the highlight of their lives (deaths) with all that public mourning of strangers and banks of rotting floral tributes.
while i agree with your overall sentiment, it is easy for you to say in maine than when living in nyc.
i don't think people pretend that their deaths would be monumental to anyone other than their friends and family, but who the hell wants to know in a terrorist attack?
"it is easy for you to say in maine than when living in nyc."
Agreed, which is why I wrote this:
"Its more of a remote chance at this point in my life than it has been for me in the past (given where I live now versus where I have lived)"
Was less remote in my past when I was at college in London during the 1990-1995 IRA market and store bombing campaign in the capital and when I was growing up on air bases (I lived on two bases that were car bombed/back pack bombed while my family lived there: RAF Stanmore and RAF Odiham- luckily nobody died but my dad did end up being ordered to follow a morning ritual of sliding a mirror under the car the check for bombs before leaving for work. I lived under the shadow of terrorist attack from the age of about 8 to 19) so I've had my fill of terrorism and think that despite living in the boonies and not the center of the known universe I'm fairly knowledgable and have a degree of empathy around the threat. I don't like to bring this up except to provide context and to stop you city slickers from dismissing my viewpoint out of hand.
I was also being sarcastic at the close, reflecting on the very public displays of woe that accompany the death of strangers we would cut off in traffic or cuss out for some personal space violation were they alive. I personally feel strongly that all forms of death are going to be pretty shitty (Up here in Maine I have no desire to be gored by a charging moose or pecked to death by puffins and loons for example) but if someone or something else (a terrorist, a fraying brake cable) else is making descisions I can't control there is nothing I can do about it
My point is this, I would never volunteer to be searched (what's the fucking point??) but i have no deep seated moral or ethical worry about police or other authorities carrying out random, organised and well scrutinised searches IN PUBLIC. It's when they take you behind a screen or into a back room away from it all , that's when the problems begin.
For my money, scrutiny at all levels of society is essential. The fact that we are having this conversation here and now shows that we are all thinking about scrutinising the cops as they scrutinise us.
I think people in general are far more aware and sceptical about the role of the Police in society and are less likely to let them get away with shit- but then i speak as a middle class white guy who speaks the language, not as some freaked out Brazilian electrician.
Just think for a moment about what governments get away with when we stop checking up on them and asking questions.
Yes it sucks that we have to have bag searches etc but it also sucks that people blow shit up and kill people. I think that sucks more.
good explanation weasel, i guess the difference is that i am a worried dude and you are not.
bowles, i agree with what you are saying for the most part but these searches aren't going to prevent anything.
Good, I'm glad we're all friends again. Have a brilliant weekend in Maine, we are about to leave for the airport!
Big love going out to you all!
Oh I love when the big boys argue and then kiss and make up.
You are all thoughtful and you are all right.
Random searches will prevent nothing.
Random seaches will make many people feel worse.
Random searches will make many people feel better.
Random pecking-to-death by puffins is truly frightening.
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