A team from the Harvard School of Public Health recently asked a very simple question. Does the barrage of abusive “security†procedures long-suffering passengers are subjected to make flying any safer?
In view of the billions of public money spent on no-bid contracts (no danger of corruption there, then) it seems a reasonable question to ask.
Would it surprise you to learn that they could not find any studies showing whether the time-consuming process of X-raying carry-on luggage prevents hijackings or attacks?
They also found no evidence to suggest that making passengers take off their shoes and confiscating small items prevented any incidents.
“Even without clear evidence of the accuracy of testing†say the researchers, “ the Transportation Security Administration defended its measures by reporting that more than 13 million prohibited items were intercepted in one year,” the researchers added. “Most of these illegal items were lighters.”
This confirms my suspicion all along – that this “theatre of security†is more about enforcing lickspittle, unquestioning “compliance†to the voice of authority than it is about protecting peoples’ lives.
But it’s our money these goons are spending – shouldn’t we demand rather more accountability and evidence of effectiveness?
