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posted by martyb on Monday May 29 2017, @07:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the going-to-need-a-narrower-laptop dept.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," [U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John] Kelly said the United States planned to "raise the bar" on airline security, including tightening screening of carry-on items.

"That's the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it's a U.S. carrier, particularly if it's full of U.S. people."

In March, the government imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey.

Kelly said the move would be part of a broader airline security effort to combat what he called "a real sophisticated threat." He said no decision had been made as to the timing of any ban.

"We are still following the intelligence," he said, "and are in the process of defining this, but we're going to raise the bar generally speaking for aviation much higher than it is now."

Airlines are concerned that a broad ban on laptops may erode customer demand. But none wants an incident aboard one of its airplanes.

Reuters

Fox News has a transcript of the interview (archived copy).

Previous stories:
President Trump Revealed Classified Information to Russia; and Tweets it to the World [Updated]
"Sources" Fear Terrorists will get Past Airport Security with Laptop Bombs
US Bans Tablets and Laptops on Flights From Eight Muslim-Majority Countries


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:31PM (24 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:31PM (#517281)

    Fear! Uncertainty! Doubt!

    After traveling through some other countries airports I can safely say the US is extremely fucked. The terrorists won, the security theater people have made tons of cash off our hysteria, and a large portion of the US has never been easier to manipulate.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Lagg on Monday May 29 2017, @07:50PM (1 child)

    by Lagg (105) on Monday May 29 2017, @07:50PM (#517287) Homepage Journal

    First thing I saw when I opened my passport was not the passport - but a pamphlet that allowed me the "privilege" of paying a subscription to get through TSA checks faster.

    Murika.

    --
    http://lagg.me [lagg.me] 🗿
    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday May 29 2017, @07:57PM

      by kaszz (4211) on Monday May 29 2017, @07:57PM (#517291) Journal

      Time for some racketeering lawsuit?
      Maybe some TSA board members have filed their IRS forms improperly? ;)

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:55PM (14 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:55PM (#517290)

    Yeah well, make what you want of it, but there haven't been any hijacks or bombings on US flights since 2001. Seems like the country to avoid now is Egypt.

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday May 29 2017, @08:12PM (2 children)

      by kaszz (4211) on Monday May 29 2017, @08:12PM (#517293) Journal

      What's so special about Egypt right now?
      It's not like the whole middle east and large areas of Africa is filled with people willing to do all kinds of bad things.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:35PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:35PM (#517650)

        All of Africa*

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @02:32PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @02:32PM (#518303)

        What's so special about Egypt right now?

        Oh, I don't know [thesun.co.uk], and it seems that iPhones and perfume don't mix [nationalpost.com]

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by edIII on Monday May 29 2017, @10:04PM (2 children)

      by edIII (791) on Monday May 29 2017, @10:04PM (#517334)

      Of course not, the terrorists wouldn't try it again. The greatest security we have are the people on board that will not go to their deaths quietly. Remember the passengers on 9/11 that didn't go along with the plans? Their plane never hit the target. It will never work again for that reason. People no longer assume they are being transported to a foreign country to become hostages. They assume that they're going to die with the terrorists becoming martyrs.

      Does it happen on Israeli flights? Nope, they were smart and you don't have access to the cockpit from the passenger areas.

      Which is why it hasn't happened again. Airlines secured the fucking doors and instituted security procedures to keep pilots from being manipulated, or opening the doors.

      That's why it has not happened again. Not because of the security theater, and not because the government did their jobs or anything.

      --
      Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:25PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:25PM (#517646)

        Airlines secured the fucking doors and instituted security procedures to keep pilots from being manipulated, or opening the doors.

        And now the problem are the crazy pilots crashing their planes. Soon enough that number will pass 9/11 crashes. Maybe these doors should actually be openable from the outside, you know, like with a key?

        • (Score: 2) by edIII on Wednesday May 31 2017, @01:35AM

          by edIII (791) on Wednesday May 31 2017, @01:35AM (#518023)

          Ummm, no. They should be locked up even tighter than that.

          That crash in Europe occurred because the pilot/co-pilot left the cockpit. Period. That nut wasn't going to do anything till that other person left, or he would've also needed to incapacitate the other pilot somehow.

          You lock the pilots into their own cabin, with their own lavatory and supplies. They don't need the stewardess flirting with them, or bringing them food & drinks. Even better, you have THREE people in the cockpit. Makes it much harder for one nut to take out the plane, although, a pilot is going to be the most dangerous anyways if they go crazy.

          It's how Israel does it. Always heard for years that their pilots have their own entrance and the cockpit is very much separated from the passenger areas.

          --
          Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Anal Pumpernickel on Monday May 29 2017, @11:14PM (6 children)

      by Anal Pumpernickel (776) on Monday May 29 2017, @11:14PM (#517364)

      If you think security is more important than freedom in a country that is supposed to be 'the land of the free and the home of the brave', then your priorities are, to me, seriously out of order. I would rather risk more terrorist attacks than allow the government to continue violating the Constitution. There's nothing brave or free about allowing government thugs to harass and search everyone who wants to get on a plane; it is cowardly and authoritarian. People who feel otherwise have other countries they could move to that act more in line with their ideals, such as North Korea.

      But I don't even accept the argument that all this security theater actually improved our safety by any significant amount. You would need to provide scientific evidence to prove it. Just saying 'But there haven't been more hijacks since 2001!' is not proof that the TSA is effective. There are other things that changed as well, such as cockpit door security and the fact that the public will fight back against hijackers now instead of meekly complying. Like I said before, though, even if it were absolutely true that the TSA was effective, I would still oppose it because I value freedom more than security.

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @01:35AM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @01:35AM (#517410)

        That's quite a stupid comment about moving to other countries. It's really not that easy, those other countries usually don't want you either.

        • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday May 30 2017, @05:03AM

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday May 30 2017, @05:03AM (#517468) Journal

          It's really not that easy, those other countries usually don't want you either.

          Unlike USA vis-a-vis muslims, almost all other civilized countries judge who they want or not on a case by case basis.
          I'm sorry to hear that your personal experience tells you otherwise.

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Tuesday May 30 2017, @11:37PM

          by Anal Pumpernickel (776) on Tuesday May 30 2017, @11:37PM (#517980)

          That's just one of the pleasures of an insanely authoritarian country, isn't it?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @04:31PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @04:31PM (#517734)

        I would rather risk more terrorist attacks than allow the government to continue violating the Constitution.

        Your view is anecdotal and statistically insignificant. The vast majority of people who vote (over 98%) disagree.

        But I don't even accept the argument that all this security theater actually improved our safety by any significant amount.

        Again you have it wrong. They aren't trying to improve 'safety'. They are selling an illusion, with high drama. Thanks to a submissive public, the campaign is a golden goose. It is business, plain and simple. And business is very good and expanding. That you cannot deny.

        • (Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Tuesday May 30 2017, @11:39PM (1 child)

          by Anal Pumpernickel (776) on Tuesday May 30 2017, @11:39PM (#517982)

          Your view is anecdotal and statistically insignificant. The vast majority of people who vote (over 98%) disagree.

          If that is true, then people should stop with the 'land of the free and home of the brave' nonsense and just admit that they are reprehensible authoritarians.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @02:56AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @02:56AM (#518056)

            people should stop with the 'land of the free and home of the brave' nonsense

            Why? It sells tickets... That's what flag waving is all about. If you don't keep the illusion alive, people will start thinking, *what's the point?*.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Tuesday May 30 2017, @12:51AM

      by sjames (2882) on Tuesday May 30 2017, @12:51AM (#517404) Journal

      And even longer before that we had no issue when the metal detectors wouldn't even go off for anything smaller than a hunting knife and IDs weren't checked at all. Boarding pass = plane ride.

      And with all the madness we have now, it's been the passengers that have headed off any real trouble after the paranoid security theater missed completely.

      The theater has mostly managed to threaten harmless college students and cause little girls to yell bad touch! and cry.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @08:22PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @08:22PM (#517299)

    It comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of how the strategy of terrorism works, you blow up some stuff and the state imposes draconian and TERRORIZING military violence ON IT'S OWN CITIZENS making the citizens angry and afraid causing in the end revolution and the destruction of the state you are targeting, sound familiar to anyone?

    --Oceania has always been the enemy

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @08:54PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @08:54PM (#517306)

    Suggested shortcut to all this - just ban... aircraft. Done.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @10:35PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @10:35PM (#517349)

      Where's me canoe?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:26AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:26AM (#517425)

        In the shop getting fitted with a secure cockpit door.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @11:40PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @11:40PM (#517373)

    9/11 the US government (no the people) to terrorist. They change the laws and destroyed freedom.

    Was noted to the TSA, of the day. that carry-on computers were unsafe. That was 1988 - 30yrs ago. Then they were bulky and you had to power them to prove they were computers. Just needed to see the BIOS screen. What that would have done.

    Remember to protect the country... Everyone must fly nude. No wear to hide anything.

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Tuesday May 30 2017, @12:42AM (1 child)

      by kaszz (4211) on Tuesday May 30 2017, @12:42AM (#517401) Journal

      Remember to protect the country... Everyone must fly nude. No wear to hide anything.

      There has been attempts at inserting a bomb inside a person using surgery to hide it completely.

      So again, full interior 3D scanning would solve a lot.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @08:43AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @08:43AM (#517541)

        Ooooh... a baby bomb!