minx Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 the whole thing "Airline Passengers: Background Check Jay Stanley Communications Director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Monday, January 12, 2004; 1:00 PM The U.S. government plans to push ahead this year with a vast computerized system to probe the backgrounds of all passengers boarding flights in the United States. The government will compel airlines to hand over all passenger records for scrutiny by U.S. officials and passengers will be scored with a number and a color that ranks their perceived security threat. " i find this really disturbing. it seems wrong that i will have to have a background check in order to travel through out my home country. Quote
HRoark Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 Playing devil's advocate: you choose to fly, so you choose to be subjected to such a check. (For the record, I don't like it either). Roark Quote
sk Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 the whole thing "Airline Passengers: Background Check Jay Stanley Communications Director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Monday, January 12, 2004; 1:00 PM The U.S. government plans to push ahead this year with a vast computerized system to probe the backgrounds of all passengers boarding flights in the United States. The government will compel airlines to hand over all passenger records for scrutiny by U.S. officials and passengers will be scored with a number and a color that ranks their perceived security threat. " i find this really disturbing. it seems wrong that i will have to have a background check in order to travel through out my home country. THAT IS SO BIG BROTHER Quote
catbirdseat Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 THAT IS SO BIG BROTHER You got that right, Muffy. George Orwell was 20 years early. Quote
allthumbs Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 So what's your plan for national security Minx? Got any better ideas? Quote
marylou Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 If airlines want to do this on a voluntary basis, maybe then so be it. Then I can choose another carrier. Wait, no, even that creeps me out. Quote
lI1|1! Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 GESTAPO - a word formed from the german habit of taking the first couple of letters of words to form a pronaouncable acrinym. GEhiem STAdt POlizi - literally = "home state police" didja know that? Quote
minx Posted January 14, 2004 Author Posted January 14, 2004 trask- i don't see how tracking domestic passengers w/a background check improves security very much. it does create a system that allows the government to invade our privacy and diminish our civil rights. i find this disturbing. in order to live in this country and have the benefits our consititution provides, i am willing to assume a certain amount of risk. if the government wants to protect my physical well being then i would prefer that they improve security at the gate, luggage check and on the plane. Quote
allthumbs Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 You hit the nail on the head - willing to assume a certain amount of risk. Quote
HRoark Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 trask- i don't see how tracking domestic passengers w/a background check improves security very much. it does create a system that allows the government to invade our privacy and diminish our civil rights. i find this disturbing. in order to live in this country and have the benefits our consititution provides, i am willing to assume a certain amount of risk. if the government wants to protect my physical well being then i would prefer that they improve security at the gate, luggage check and on the plane. I agree, however, you missed one thing: The Constitution "provides" nothing, but it GUARANTEES your rights. I know it seems like splitting hairs, but so many people are under the false impression that they didn't have any rights before the Constitution granted them. YOU HAVE RIGHTS, PEOPLE, START EXERCISING THEM!!! Quote
Lars Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 too many people are willing to assume a "certain amount of risk" until something happens, then they blame the government for not protecting them. Quote
minx Posted January 14, 2004 Author Posted January 14, 2004 trask- i don't see how tracking domestic passengers w/a background check improves security very much. it does create a system that allows the government to invade our privacy and diminish our civil rights. i find this disturbing. in order to live in this country and have the benefits our consititution provides, i am willing to assume a certain amount of risk. if the government wants to protect my physical well being then i would prefer that they improve security at the gate, luggage check and on the plane. I agree, however, you missed one thing: The Constitution "provides" nothing, but it GUARANTEES your rights. I know it seems like splitting hairs, but so many people are under the false impression that they didn't have any rights before the Constitution granted them. YOU HAVE RIGHTS, PEOPLE, START EXERCISING THEM!!! a valid point regarding phrasing but in many instances people didn't have those civil rights before the constitution granted them. in fact in many parts of the world people don't have those civil rights now. yeah...now i'm splitting hairs. i agree exercise those civil rights. Quote
murraysovereign Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 Playing devil's advocate: you choose to fly, so you choose to be subjected to such a check. (For the record, I don't like it either). Roark The danger is that it becomes "you choose to ride a bus, so you choose to be subjected to such a check." And then "you choose to venture outside your house, so you choose to be subjected to such a check." In and of themselves, these passenger checks and assessments are arguably a defensible measure, but you have to be cautious about the thin ends of wedges. And as with the "biometric passport" requirements, does this measure actually provide any added security, or just the illusion of security? And if not, how much privacy are you prepared to surrender in order to preserve an illusion? Quote
allthumbs Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 jesus christ, you people act like you really have something to hide. who gives a shit if they got yer number? unless you commit a crime, no one will ever look at it. fuck, get over it already. Quote
mattp Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 Airport security is mostly a big scam intended to convince Americans that our government is doing something to protect us. Before boarding flights, we had to go through metal detectors before 9-11, so what is the big difference if they move them so that you can't accompany your wife or children partway down the concourse? After one oddball tried to blow up his shoes, you can't get on an airplane without taking your shoes off. They screen your carry on (they used to only screen some of them), and they detained my six year old nephew and scared the heck out of him when they searched his pack full of coloring books and juice while getting ready to board a recent flight, but nobody looked in my carry-on and I had a camera and other items that could easily have been full or c-4 or which might have included parts that break down into a knife or something. Out on the drive in front of the airport, you can't stop outside the baggage claim to wait for somebody -- what's the point of that if somebody with a truck bomb could just park and walk away from it (they could surely push the remote trigger before the bomb squad was called to haul it off), or if they are willing to blow themselves up? And then, during the recent orange alert, they made you drive past a little guard house on the entrance drive, backing up traffic all the way to the Burien freeway, so somebody could look into your car to see if you were "suspicious?" What the hell did THAT accomplish? Yes, I'm sure they have tightened up some aspects of airport security but most of this is just a show. We're paying a lot of money toward Mr. Bush's reelection campaign. Quote
allthumbs Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 anything's better'n sittin on our thumbs pretending nothing will happen - "I know those guys," the informant told the FBI following the 9-11 attacks. "They were my roommates. We used to hang together and stuff, man... but they couldn't hold their toke at all, and after a while I just kinda figured they were cool because they didn't take any of my stash. So um, they were the terrorists guys? Man, that's totally bogus!" Quote
Bug Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 jesus christ, you people act like you really have something to hide. who gives a shit if they got yer number? unless you commit a crime, no one will ever look at it. fuck, get over it already. jesus christ, you people act like jews who have to hide. who gives a shit if they got yer arm number? unless you don't get on the cattle train, no one will ever look at it. fuck, get over it already. Quote
cracked Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 GESTAPO - a word formed from the german habit of taking the first couple of letters of words to form a pronaouncable acrinym. GEhiem STAdt POlizi - literally = "home state police" didja know that? WRONG! 'Gehiem' means 'secret'. 'Heim' is indeed home, but 'geheim' is something else entirely. So it's literally 'secret state police'. Quote
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