So another bomb plot is stopped. And guess how it was stopped.

[Stinky The Clown]

It was stopped by good intelligence and, basically, good sleuthing, good police work.

No TSA agents sniffed any crotches.

TSA has never stopped one hijacker, one bomb plot, one real threat . . . except grannies with knitting needles.

[tularetom]

1. Wow, my guess would have been way wrong

I was gonna say they were able to foil this plot because they waterboarded some guy and he sang like a canary, giving up name rank and serial number of all his co conspirators. Thus our awesome "enhanced interrogation" techniques resulted in saving many American lives.

My guess sounds better even though it is total bullshit.

[Iggo]

2. My guess was wrong, too.

I was gonna say there was never a bomb in the first place, and that it was all just an FBI sting operation, from the conception of the "plot" to the arrest of some poor bunch of loser schlub "conspirators" who thought they were doing something big and important because the undercover FBI guy told them they were doing something big and important.

I like your story, too, though.

[cherokeeprogressive]

3. I was thinking it was a matter of

the "low fear" light blinking on the dashboard, and some gubmint official deciding it was time to scream "hey, lookie over there! it's something scary!".

[Mc Mike]

20. I thought the CIA stopped payment on one of their terror asset's paychecks,

So the 'stiffed' asset refused to follow through with the job.

+ 1 to post 1, 2, and 3. +1 to the OP, too.

[longship]

4. Naw! You all have it wrong.

This is all about justifying future TSA panty raids.

[DFW]

5. Yeah, but what ABOUT those knitting needles?

They might have been Islamic Terrorist knitting needles!!!!!

[Retrograde]

9. they could have been knitting Afghans! (n/t)

[Greybnk48]

6. As a grannie who flies with knitting needles

they better not f*ck with me!

[badtoworse]

7. You're right. We don't need no stinkin' airport security...

...and we'd be just as safe without it.

I'm guessing you don't fly much.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. Actually, I do fly.

We need better airport security. We need different airport security. We don't Security Theater 3000 and we don't need need people willing to give up privacy and personal rights for the sake of our government providing the *illusion* of security.

Did you know that the high security society in Israel doesn't use any body scanners? Did you know they use smart people to screen airplane passengers? I am neither defending nor criticizing Israel. I am simply dying there are other, better way.

The point of this OP is that the bullshit part of TSA has been as effective as a fart in a windstorm and that human intelligence is what wins the game.

But you go ahead. Shout at me for wanting my right to privacy . . . . and yours, for that matter.

It is in part because of attitudes like yours, willing to accept intrusion, that we are seeing this country going from, as you say, bad to worse.

[badtoworse]

10. I fly a lot and airport security pisses me off too

As I understand it, Isreali security realizes heavily on profiling passengers on the basis of behavior and appearance. I would be very happy if we could do something like that. I see two problems though:

1.) If we started actually profiling people, how long do think it would before some group filed a federal lawsuit claiming they were being discriminated against? Why do you think granny gets a pat down or a full body cavity search? Answer: So that airport security has an affirmative defense against such potential lawsuits. If everyone gets screened thoroughly, then no one can claim discrimination.

2.) We are a vastly larger country handling much more air traffic. I'm not sure the Isreali procedures would work on our scale.

I don't like having my privates checked out in a full body scan any more than you do, but I want to be safe when I fly and I can't think of an alternative approach that I believe would be effective. If you have one, I'd like to hear the specifics.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Yeah, I have an alternative . . . .

. . . . accept the risk. Stop being a nation of wimps.

And stop accepting your government treating you as a criminal suspect.

[marble falls]

22. goddam right.

[bluestate10]

14. I suggest that you go throught Israeli airport security.

You will change your tune after watching your 10th pair of drawers examined by a security agent. Advice, wash your clothes before showing up. I am amazed how some stuff is written here with the air of authority. Travel more. Learn more.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. Thanks for the tip

Wanna compare passport stamps?

Have a swell evening.

[Rex]

12. Repukes - we love small government, oh and by the way

sat HELLO to the DHS!

Biggest liars EVA.

[madinmaryland]

13. Imagine if someone had taken the Presidential Daily Briefing of 8/6/2001 seriously...

I would still be working in Lower Manhattan, taking the train into every morning from Connecticut.

Oh wait, I was thinking for a minute there that President Gore had won the election in 2000. Imagine all of the shit we would never have talked about here...

(Would there have been a DU if Gore had won??)

[MerryBlooms]

15. The timing bugs me, just as it did with the Bush admin.

Ratcheting up the terraterraterra for political gain... yeah, it bugs me.

[SomethingFishy]

17. ROFLMFAO... I love you Stinky but...

The new "underwear bomber" worked for the CIA. There never was any threat.

[Stinky The Clown]

18. I love you, too

Row it back for the boys.

The point of the OP stands, but after-the-fact news is all you see. Go ahead. Take your shot.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

[Stinky The Clown]

19. According to the story that is still coming out, there *was* a threat.

They wanted to put a bomb on a plane. They got punked with a double agent. That goes right back to my OP. Sleuthing and cop work, not the government sniffing crotches.

[treestar]

21. That's more preventative

The terrorist knows it's no use trying to get a bomb on that way.

So it's the kind of thing that prevents it but there is no way of knowing when and where it did so.