These people just don’t get it. In the rush to do something, they do all the wrong things. They threaten to prosecute intelligence agents, they refuse to profile passengers, and they fail to properly use databases containing vital information. What do they do instead? Make life miserable for law abiding American citizens.
The transcript of the press conference today on the failings of those entrusted with our national security can be found here. You’ve probably heard a lot of the clips, so I won’t bore you with most of the details. Notable are the remarks of Big Sis Janet Napolitano.
Q The President talked about using enhanced screening technologies. Does he intend to deploy the body imaging systems as the primary method of screening for all airports across the country? Is that the goal?
SECRETARY NAPOLITANO: I think we look at security as a system of layers. It is advanced screening technology; it is the magnetometers with which people are so familiar; it’s explosive detection technology; it is canines, an increased use of canines; it’s behavior-detection officers; it’s increased law enforcement presence, both uniformed and undercover. It’s that series of layers that we will be adding to the security we already have at our domestic airports in the wake of this instance.
Q Following up on that, you said that 300 additional of these scanners will be deployed in 2010. Was that planned before this event? And you said more may be developed — more may be deployed on top of that. How many more, and how much will that cost?
SECRETARY NAPOLITANO: The answer is it was planned before this — it was already in funding that the Congress had appropriated for the TSA. With respect to how many more need to be done, we will be working on that as part of our ongoing review as to how many are needed. But again, I would caution you not to focus solely on that technology. As I just explained to Elaine, this is a series of layers that we deploy and will be enhancing their deployment of at domestic airports.
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Q Is the system already in place — meaning, if the father would have gone into — went to the embassy, could be a similar situation today, would a ping immediately happen; would the crosstab come up with the fact that the person had a visa, for example? And that’s — isn’t that one of the things that you’re talking about? So I’m wondering if the fix is already installed.
And to Secretary Napolitano, since there aren’t body-imaging machines all over the world, I take it that pat-downs might be used. What do you say to people who are just squeamish about personal privacy being invaded and body searches?
SECRETARY NAPOLITANO: Well, obviously, as we move to strengthen security we always have this balance to be struck with issues about personal privacy. Here in the United States we train officers on how to properly conduct a pat-down. They do it in other countries around the world as well. Part of the initiative that we are undertaking is to make sure that that kind of training and capacity is built in continents around the globe. But you are right — it is likely, in addition to the things that I listed, that there will increases of pat-downs as well.
In a nutshell, maybe some of the extra law enforcement officers will be looking more closely at suspicious appearing individuals. Or maybe they’ll be looking at the full body scan of you and your family, before feeling you up.
Oh and this – no single individual is being held accountable for not connecting the dots. Of course, other than President Obama who said the buck stops with him, which is what anyone in his shoes would have said. Just words.
Via memeorandum
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