Show 1 s nPr j la l' l I J tl 1 i Si J VJ at i rJ r i T fl w T t. t t v 0 f w J j J J i b By Shiloh Winder Are we really safer in our airports Over the Christmas Holiday I took the opportunity to get away from the cold weather around here and flew to Los Angeles Upon making my reservations reservations reservations reser reser- I was told by the airline I would only need to arrive at Salt Lake International an hour before my flight as security holdups had been reduced to the point that things were almost back to normal ormal This was false information After checking my bag 1 I waited in a line for 45 minutes to walk through the metal detector detector detector detec detec- tor and walk upstairs to the gates When I saw the huge hardly moving line I knew that there was either a great sale going on at the Roots of Canada at lam on a Saturday morning or the 9 11 terrorists had won a victory against the freedoms of this nation Im I'm not sure they had even planned on When I passed through the Metal Detector I left my key chain in my pocket and set off the alarm Im sorry Sir but there are no keys allowed in inthe inthe inthe the Roots store Clearly the FAA feels the segment of the population who has keys is by far the most dangerous g group in society I say this because I was immediately taken aside to toa toa toa a security area where I was with a handheld metal detector so powerful that the rivets in my pants set it off I had to remove my shoes so they could be run through the xray xray xray x- x ray machine and I was patted patted- down arms and legs- legs legsby by a rugged young male security guard the highlight of my whole vacation It was doubtless the most thorough security check I had ever been through and I almost missed my flight for it The funny thing is it didn't didn't didn't did did- nt make me feel one bit safer Since Commercial airliners were allowed back in the air security at airports has stiffened by great meas meas- ure but is it moving in the right direction In mid November the government established the Transportation Security Administration which will soon have complete control over airport airport airport air air- port security This makes perfect sense to me because when you want a job done and I want it done right you contact the US U.S. Government When I hear the words exactness and efficiency the first thing to come to my mind is the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Motor Vehicles Please When it comes to matters matters matters mat mat- of extreme force Ill I'll take the US U.S. Armed Forces over any group in the world but I do not want a society in which the A security team run by the government is no better than run by a private firm one perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps even worse Army's Special Forces runs the airport and I honestly dont don't see how the people we have running the X-rays X now are going to be beany beany beany any better because they are getting a check from the govern govern- ment A security team run by bythe bythe bythe the government is no better than one run by a private firm perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps even worse Consider this the security security security rity teams who ran the airports in the past had to do their jobs right because they had competition tion from other firms The Transportation Security Administration will have no competition and thus no incentive incentive incentive tive to do the best job Is airport security going to get better in the coming months and years Of course it will Weve We've been alerted to a glaring proD em in m mour our National Security and the public public public pub pub- lic and private sectors have been working hard together to come up with better technology technology technology ogy and new standards for keeping air travel as safe as they should Anyone wanting wanting wanting want want- ing to commit an act of terrorism on a como com com- o o mercial jet will have to work much harder at it than he would have last summer However setting up a multi-billion multi dollar administration tion that forces people to wait in horrendous lines remove shoes and in some cases bras and starting January 17 allow checked bags to be hand searched by security personnel is not the answer These are breaches of privacy this r nation should not tolerate Government is like anything else it is good in limited limited limited limit limit- ed amounts The problem with it is that it has no in built-in limits for itself Remember governments government's governments government's governments government's govern govern- ments ment's primary instinctive job is isto isto isto to restrict people not defend them The governments government's appropriate role in this issue would be to provide strict new guidelines for private firms to adhere to Then outline and enforce severe penalties for those who dont don't meet up A company who's business is to keep air travelers safe or they will feel the wrath of the government and happy or they will feel the wrath of the airlines they serve will provide provide provide pro pro- vide a balanced force that will willbe willbe willbe be more likely to search a man with a criminal record or known links to terrorist organizations organizations organizations than they will a young Asian woman with two small children as is needlessly being done at the present The and Al- Al Terrorist network are lying in ruins but nevertheless we cant can't deny that Osama Bin Laden scored a big and enduring hit on his primary target our freedom |