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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.
Fox News has a transcript of the interview (archived copy).
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President Trump Revealed Classified Information to Russia; and Tweets it to the World [Updated]
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US Bans Tablets and Laptops on Flights From Eight Muslim-Majority Countries
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ilsa on Monday May 29 2017, @09:37PM (8 children)
Why is it that nobody ever thinks about the obvious idea of... oh... I dunno... NOT pissing off the entire world so that everyone and their goldfish is gunning for you?
I mean, isn't it strange how Canada doesn't seem to have these problems? Sure, there have been a few terrorist plots that have been foiled, but Canada seems to have FAR few problems than the US, and we haven't had to go ballistic ape shit on security.
And all you need to do is look at our respective customs offices to see why. In the US, the place looks like a military installation, and the border people are just jonesing to find something to nail you with so that they can arrest you. There aren't even garbage cans to toss your refuse in.
Meanwhile on the Canadian side, the customs office looks like a comfortable hotel lobby, and the staff there help you comply with the law, and are apologetic if they can't let you get away with something.
And then some Americans get pissed off because other countries "demand" US military aid. Well maybe if the US stopped treating the entire planet as if they were entitled to it, then people would stop going, "Well, where are you when we actually need you?"
(Score: 2, Disagree) by edIII on Monday May 29 2017, @10:28PM (3 children)
Easy to say, but you don't know what problems Canada may have with the U.S out of the picture. In other words, Canadians are safer because the U.S takes the brunt of it.
You do have a point though. We can take care of the problems with the TSA by bringing peace to the Middle East. Without a jihad that has the support of the people, the terrorists will fade away and be marginalized like the Christian extremists in the U.S.
That is a path for peace, but a difficult one requiring work on both sides. Far more work then just banning laptops on international flights.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Tuesday May 30 2017, @03:21AM
Except [alternet.org] they haven't [globalresearch.ca].
Doesn't it suck when your premise is completely wrong?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by bradley13 on Tuesday May 30 2017, @06:12AM
Canadians are safer because the U.S takes the brunt of it.
You do have a point though. We can take care of the problems with the TSA by bringing peace to the Middle East.
Dear god, I think he's serious. "Bringing peace to the Middle East". By overthrowing government after government. By delivering weapons to terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda. By selling hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia.
The Islamic fruitcakes may be the ones blowing themselves up, but they're doing this at least partly because of all the "peace" the US has brought to their home countries.
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Tuesday May 30 2017, @04:06PM
I seriously doubt that that is true. Canada is safer, because Canada IS SAFER.
It by no means perfect, but the entire culture is FAR more temperate and compassionate (and dare I say it... liberal?) than the US. (There are always assholes, sure, but in general it's true.)
Far more crucially, Canada hasn't fucked around the rest of the world the way the US has. Hell, the US almost directly responsible for everything happening in the middle east right now. Just do a wikipedia search for "blowback". Iran for example, was a perfectly nice, democratic country. But because they wouldn't bend over the way US wanted them to, the US assassinated their democratically elected leader and put in place some theocratic puppet that lead to the mess that Iran is now.
So no, the US *absolutely* deserves all the hostility pointed in their direction. They've earned it. And that was *before* the US went rabid xenophobic.
I mean, it's so bad that Americans tourists around the world are actually encouraged to pretend that they are Canadian, because their treatment around the world is so markedly different. And to counter that, native people have even been known to *quiz* said tourists to prove that they arn't faking being Canadian. THAT'S how bad America's reputation is around the world.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by AthanasiusKircher on Monday May 29 2017, @10:58PM (3 children)
I still remember the first time I crossed the Canadian border after 9/11 (nearly a year afterward). I was with some friends on a camping trip. We decided to take our pickup truck and go for a little daytrip across the border. In Canada, we were greeted by two pleasant (and, I'll admit, attractive) women who chatted with us nicely for a minute. They apologized (yes, apologized) and asked us to pull the truck over briefly so they could take a quick look in the back. (Seemed perfectly reasonable for a pickup truck.) It was all efficient, polite, and generally made us feel welcome to the country.
A few hours later, we returned and were greeted by a dour short fat man and a marine with a large weapon on his shoulder. The man was abrupt, almost nasty -- even though we were perfectly polite and explained we had just been to a park across the border. One of my friends was Asian (not Middle Eastern), and the official seemed troubled by that, even though he was an American citizen and had been raised in the U.S. (The kind of questions he was asked frankly were somewhat unprofessional and vaguely racist.) Rather than asking us to pull over and to come look over the truck with them (as the Canadians did), they firmly instructed us to stay in the truck while they performed a search, and proceeded to ask us a bunch of bizarre questions about the little bit of camping gear that was in the back of the truck... which didn't contain anything that could in any way seem suspicious.
Yes, every time I've gone to Canada and have returned, the difference has been very noticeable. Even the last time I returned from Canada after a short business trip, the U.S. official was positively rude and literally imitated and mocked the way I answered her questions. (I had gotten up at 4am for my first flight, so I was exhausted, and I apparently said "Um" a few times; I guess you can't be tired at the border anymore.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @03:18AM
Well if your gear is searched they'd find your cooking equipment, including your pot, so of course they'd have questions!
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:27PM (1 child)
9/11 changed the border crossing with Canada profoundly.
It was always true crossing back to America was less pleasant than going in the other direction. Despite being a nation of immigrants that prides itself on its Melting Pot, America is not a welcoming country at its borders to even its own citizens.
Going to Canada, though, used to be less fanfare than crossing the state line to California, where they would stop and interrogate you to see if you were bringing any produce into the state, and to confiscate it if you were.
Now when you're going to Canada they can be severe. Even with small children in their car seats in the back their disposition does not change.
It makes me sad that Canada's been dragged down with America's dysfunction.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:41PM
I dunno how accurate this is. I visited Canada about 8 months ago by car, and the crossing in New York state was quite easy and pleasant. Short conversation, couple of stamps on the passport. Not that I am not even a U.S. citizen, and it was a breeze. I think your mileage can vary quite a bit with this one.