Whoever put the TSA policies in place is a goddamned idiot. USE THE FREAKING DOGS.

[coti]

I'm reading about the screeners' reactions to the mandatory gropings and they don't like the policy either, which is totally understandable.

What I can't get past is that even THIS level of invasiveness doesn't prevent someone from getting explosives on planes. Groping genitals doesn't go far enough if TSA is going to go this route. They'd have to do thorough body-cavity searches on everyone to have any kind of confidence that explosives really aren't getting on the planes.


Amazingly, there IS a solution. They're called bomb-sniffing dogs. They can detect the tiniest trace of explosives, no matter how they're being held.

For the life of me- and I've mentioned this before- why the hell aren't we using a combination of metal detectors, baggage X-ray screening and searching and dogs sniffing every single passenger?

That combination is more effective AND less invasive. Who is making these dumbass decisions that are not only traumatizing people but also aren't protecting people in the way they should be?

[katnapped]

1. FOLLOW...THE...MONEY n/t

[madmax]

2. +10 It's always about the Benjamins.

[coti]

10. There should be plenty of money to go around to dog trainers.

Where's the dog trainer lobby when you need them?

[JohnyCanuck]

18. Way overshadowed & outspent by the Chertoff and friends lobby. n/t

[HCE SuiGeneris]

25. yep n/t

[avaistheone1]

28. Amen I say unto you.

[hedgehog]

3. I have seen dogs used to check luggage - by the DEA!

Priorities, ya know!

[Retrograde]

12. Customs uses them at some airports

I've seen them at SFO once or twice. I saw SFPD using them to check the streetcars during the recent playoffs: took about as much time as the dog took to walk from one end of the car to the other. The problem is that sniffer dogs require a lot of training, as do sniffer dog handlers. I think they should definitely use them for spot checks, but it's going to be a long time before there are enough trained dogs and handlers to cover all airports. Plus, how are Chertof and cronies going to profit?

(Mythbusters had a program a few weeks ago on the dogs: they are a lot better than humans and machines at what they do! The dogs don't even have to get very close to a human carrying contraband, and their trained to sit when they sniff something, so they don't actually come into physical contact with people.)

[hedgehog]

23. The ones I've seen were really cute beagles. MUST NOT TRY

TO GET ATTENTION OF ADORABLE BEAGLE!

I admit to some slight uneasiness; I have dogs, cats and chickens and no doubts that I must carry some interesting smells on my shoes!


I can't wait to see dogs used instead of groping, I give it 2 hours before the first story hits the tubes about the person who is terrified of dogs being forced to allow one to sniff her.......

[coti]

26. Yeah, the complainers would still be there. But, hopefully, with the dogs

everyone would just tell them to shut up.

The inconvenience of a dog sniff- thanks to the power of its nose- it's nothing in comparison to people having their genitals groped. Who knows, maybe this would give people some perspective if dogs do ever move into the mix.

[hedgehog]

27. My dogs think their day isn't complete until they've groped the genitals

of every other creature around.

[bahrbearian]

29. Do they use the back of their paws or the front of their paws?

On edit do you keep their nails trimmed?

[laconicsax]

4. Why use a simple, effective method when you can go the authoritarian route?

Unless the entire travel experience leaves people feeling violated, the terrorists win.

[madmax]

7. I'm surprised that there are

Teabaggers that are not gung ho on this. They're always bitching about how we're not safe, secure, open borders, blah, blah, but they're pissed off, too.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Here here, it is perfectly natural for dogs to sniff areas humans

have a aversion to.

[coti]

9. Mythbusters has done a couple of episodes on the power of dog's noses.

They tried every single idea they could- like 15 or 20 of them- to either get away from or hide contraband from sniffer dogs and they could NOT fool them. Not even once, with anything.

[Merlot]

6. It's all about the fear and the theatre

The policy may sound stupid to most of us but to those who implemented it, it's a stunning success.

[Individualist]

14. and, above all, control

"But, after all, it is the leaders of the
country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to
drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist
dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no
voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked,
and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same in any country." Hermann Goering

[Justitia]

8. Amen! My nephew was a bomb dog handler in the Air Force, did presidential detail.

If they trust the dogs to protect the CinC, they should be good for all of us.

Let loose the hounds!

[coti]

11. Here's my first thread on the subject, in February:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7724969

[nadinbrzezinski]

Cui Bono

how much for a K-9? How much for this machine?

Your answer is behind door number two.

Also OTHER nations with ACTUAL security use them, therefore, and this is very American, it cannot work.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Cui Bono

how much for a K-9? How much for this machine?

Your answer is behind door number two.

Also OTHER nations with ACTUAL security use them, therefore, and this is very American, it cannot work.

[liberal N proud]

15. You know there is greed behind all of this

[mopinko]

16. there are not that many trained dogs available.

it would probably cost more than the machines to keep an adequate force of trained dogs.

not defending the tsa, just saying these dogs aren't laying around looking for jobs.

[coti]

19. Yeah, it would take time to get all of the dogs needed trained, but, given the money we spend on

security, it could be finished in 2-3 years, implemented slowly in the meantime, airport by airport.

[coti]

20. And it's been nine freaking years since 9/11. There's really no excuse for this. nt

[Individualist]

24. Hear, hear!

[StarsInHerHair]

22. & so it would become a priority to train more dogs

it cost a pretty penny to make those machines, just sayin, & dogs are a proven success at locating all sorts of things the tsa claims they need to detect. Just sayin........

[StarsInHerHair]

17. 2 dogs per waiting line, 1 starts at the front 1 at the back

as well as having 2 on board every plane. Of course what happened to that Lockerbie plane also necessitates dogs sniffing over the cargo bays quite thoroughly.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. That will happen the day Michael Chertoff opens a puppy mill..

nt

[petronius]

30. I saw a story a few years ago about land-mine sniffing rats

Cheaper than dogs, and IIRC just as effective. Big and cute, too - some kind of pouched rat...

[coti]

31. Now that I think about it, even the full body-cavity searches wouldn't do the trick.

They'd start using mules.

They have to use dogs. There's just no getting around it.

[Odin2005]

32. No, they know what they are doing. They're training us to be obedient to the Police State.

None of this BS is necessary, NONE OF IT, for safety. It is "Security Theater", habituating us to Police State THUGGERY.