On The Third Hand

17 December, 2001: "False security"

I got a link to an article by Chris Matthews about a tv interview with Tom Ridge (thanks to an Instapundit reader). I saw the actual show. During the interview, Tom Ridge said, "I think every single able-bodied man or woman, from this point forward, looks at themselves as a potential air marshal." Chris Matthews neglects to mention that Tom Ridge emphasized the words "or women", probably in reaction to a certain amount of "men... men... men... men..." rhetoric coming out of Chris' mouth (don't mind me, I just don't like Matthews). I got the impression, while watching the interview, that Chris was a bit perturbed by the idea that the government could not protect everyone absolutely--or he was upset that Mr Ridge admitted that inconvenient little fact.

What I've noticed with most government officials since September 11 has me a bit worried. They don't seem to have noticed that most of us would really like to know what we can do (other than spend money). They are still trying to make us think they can "take care" of us...but it is all smoke and mirrors. Federalizing airport security will just give those bored people higher wages, but the government hopes it will make everyone "feel safe". National ID cards have been proposed, in fact, international ID cards have even been proposed. ID cards would make us even less safe, because there is nothing that cannot be copied or forged. Those ID cards would invite trust and decreased alertness; terrorists would take advantage.

The only way we will ever get total security on airplanes is to ground the planes and lock them. I know I have a few readers among "gov" and "mil" organizations, so the rest is an open letter to the US government and military (pass it on):
Tom Ridge is right, we "the people" are all Air Marshals. There will never again be a successful hijacking of any plane that has American passengers unless the hijackers kill us all. The airlines who are confiscating tweezers and nail clippers are just being silly. Have your "federalized force" worry about guns with bullets that can puncture and cause decompression. Search checked luggage for bombs rather than grabbing nail files.

You should quit trying to make us "feel safe", and start telling us what we can do to help make ourselves safe. We aren't stupid. We know that the only way to make each individual in the US safe is to have an army guard for each civilian. You in the government don't realize that you have a good portion of the population volunteering for the job. The increase in gun purchases and requests for concealed weapons permits should give you at least a little clue. Give us some concrete suggestions, and you'll have an army of over 100 million to defend the home front. We've been trusting you, despite our worries, and it's long past time for you to trust us!

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