I know you have a tough job, and that you’re a bright, educated person. Hey, you’re an attorney and a former state governor. Of course, I can’t for the life of me figure out how those accomplishments indicate anyone is qualified to run the Department of Homeland Security, but it does indicate you’re a smart person.
Even so, your statement after the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 incident to CNN’s Candy Crowley that, “the system worked” surely didn’t help your credibility in my eyes or the American public.
When looking at the current mess that is TSA, and its crazy often poorly conceived regulations, to which, as DHS Secretary, you have oversight, I think that ordinary common sense is all that’s needed to know that TSA is in desperate need of a “make-over.”
Each year, millions of travelers, in my opinion, are subjected to increasingly pointless, intrusive searches, resulting in absurd delays and worthless hours spent at airports. Each year, millions of travelers are unnecessarily and unwittingly forced to give away their privacy and their rights, due to the “politics of fear.”
If that isn’t bad enough, DHS/TSA’s ineffective rules, regulations and policies feeding on fear, and hysteria, bit by bit erase America’s legacy for our posterity, and ensure victory for terrorists. Every time DHS/TSA reacts beyond any reasonable proportion, to ineffective terrorist wanna-be’s and petty tyrants we loose, and they win.
The Christmas Day airline bomb attempt is a case in point, Madame Secretary. TSA raised an ineffective, stupid terrorist to cult hero status in his world. TSA instituted ridiculous rules to attempt to ensure the incident could never happen again, which, of course, is an impossibility. Using fears raised by this incident as a crutch, TSA put in place the installation of 450 full-body scanners which most likely can never detect a similar terrorist attempt, but will cost a fortune, which could be far more wisely spent to effectively protect travelers.
I was even caught up in some of the hysteria, but I’ve come to my senses now.
Madame Secretary, you are at a historic crossroad. Before you, lay two choices. You can continue to follow the easy road of the “politics of fear,” which has continued unabated since your Department was established, or you can acknowledge the intrepid roots of our country, and use the “politics of courage,” holding to a realistic, and judicious approach to provide security for our nation.
Madame Secretary, I had high hopes when President Obama appointed you, but unfortunately, I am still waiting to see your imprint on DHS/TSA, an imprint of sound, level-headed, rationality.
Let’s face facts, reducing the threat of terrorism to zero, just isn’t going to happen, no matter how much we’d like that, nor is reducing terrorists’ potential to kill travelers to nil. We could multiply the DHS/TSA budgets ten-fold, and we’ll still have more people in our country die from murders, abuse and neglect, suicide and traffic accidents.
So what is to be done to provide prudent, effective steps to minimize the threat of terrorism to our country, and stop handing easy victories to terrorists?
Madame Secretary, before anything else, you need to transform the mentality of DHS/TSA management to the “politics of courage.” It won’t be popular until the American people understand it, and it will require courage on the part of the American traveling public, but changing DHS/TSA’s vision to one of minimizing the threat of terrorism to the extent reasonably practical, instead of the impossible goal of never letting “it happen again” is essential. Otherwise, failure is inevitable and the cost to the American people, in every way imaginable, will be far too much. I think the American people are up to it.
Following the new vision, every rule and regulation of DHS/TSA must be reviewed and eschewed or brought within the new vision.
Your DHS/TSA agents must be upgraded. You need to institute a program of psychological profiling of travelers, and that requires highly educated, highly trained agents. You need this program because it makes sense and will work.
President Obama has called for inter-agency intelligence cooperation. DHS/TSA must have rules, procedures and capable people to wisely use the intelligence.
Keeping advanced x-ray examination of carry-on, and metal detectors makes sense, as does augmenting them with explosive sniffing dogs. Dumping the liquids restriction should start immediately, since its effect is dubious at best. Frankly, it’s so easy to get around the restrictions, they’re worthless.
Continued x-ray and other screening of checked-in luggage makes sense, as does matching luggage with manifest lists.
The various terrorist lists need to be updated. The criteria of how a name gets on any of the lists needs to be reviewed and be consistent. Why a name is on the list needs to be clearly attached to the name. There needs to be a clear way for someone on a list to have their name removed from it, if warranted.
Finally, how DHS/TSA works with the media, and how management interacts directly with the public is crucial. This country needs to stop making terrorists heroes at home. We need to stop making big deals out of small incidents. DHS/TSA needs to deal with the media and public intelligently.
