Beware the Deadly Bra

Recently, there have been a number of articles such as this one detailing the abuses people are having to put up with at airports. And a couple of days ago, a woman caused a scene when her underwire bra tripped a metal detector and she refused to be felt up in public to prove she wasn't a terrorist.

The big story that the media has missed, though, is that women are being allowed to go through security with underwires in their bras. How come? In an age of confiscated nail clippers and files, why do underwires get a pass? After all, it would only take about five minutes with a grinding wheel for a terrorist to turn two underwires into a pair of rapiers that would be more deadly than a pocketkknife.

The inconsistency of allowing underwires while prohibiting nail clippers just illustrates how silly our security measures have become. We are spending billions of dollars and helping to destroy the airline industry in a completely misguided attempt to remove every possible threat from an airplane. This is flatly impossible, and we shouldn't try. Any terrorist with half a brain can hide a dozen weapons in his baggage or on his person in a way that will pass even the closest scrutiny.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: The heroes of flight 93 did us all a great service by sending an unequivocal message to terrorists that Americans will NOT allow themselves to be turned into flying bombs. Instead of this insane snarl of useless regulation, we should build on the example of those brave people and set up a security policy that is inexpensive, sustainable for years, and enhances freedom instead of diminishing it. Give passenger briefings on how to resist, provide flight attendants with non-lethal restraint devices like handcuffs and pepper spray, and give them the authority to distribute those to passengers in emergencies. Designate especially athletic or trained passengers as voluntary security helpers much in the same way we put able-bodied volunteers in front of exits. Arm the pilots, and put reinforcing bars on the door. And that's enough.

Airport security should aim to prevent handguns and bombs from getting onboard, because that is something that is feasible. The rest is just an annoyance and counter-productive.

Yesterday, Tom Daschle said that Tom Ridge should have to brief Congress on homeland security measures and allow a full debate in Congress. For a change, I agree with him completely. It seems to me that homeland defense is going seriously awry, and Congress has a responsibility to oversee it.

Posted by Dan at March 17, 2002 05:41 PM