After Madrid and London, why is this still an issue??? Is this not a warning??? Confused?
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050715/NEWS01/507150330/1006
If people are expecting perfect security from a terrorist attack from anywhere, it just isn’t going to happen short of turning this country into a police state. The article suggests that the Committee for State Security is not really interested in addressing security issues that are not very visible like airport security, which probably is more for show than anything else.
I think the whole security thing is a waste of time and effort and is removing our freedom bit by bit. There is no way we could have true security. No matter how extreeme we get with security someone could always find a way to do the harm they intend to do. We need to not be defensive about it but rather be offensive and go after these bast***s on there turf. We need to go after these training camps for terrorists and erase them from the face of the planet. If we continue to lose our rights in the name of security we will deserve nor have either.
[soapbox]
Its called Job Justification.
Or a Dog and Pony Show, depends on how old you are!
300 people on an airplane seem to be more important than 30 on a train.
Or the airline industry is a more visable way to pretend your doing something worthwhile.
That sucks, because I was raised to believe in Liberity and Justice for All, not just a select few.
No, you cant really make the US safe from terrorist.
Even if we had the money, our borders are way, way to huge to secure.
I agree, if you want to stop them, stop them on thier own turf.
Ed
Hitler couldn’t even stop insurgence attacks of the partisans and he was as dictatorial as they come; what make a democratic government think it can do a better job in home security.
I agree, take the fight to them. As Patton said, they need to “grab them by the nose and kick them in the pants”.
A determined terrorist simply cannot be stopped.
If we somehow made the planes absolutely safe, they would perhaps choose a train. If we made the trains absolutely safe, they would choose a gas truck, or a gasoline storage facility, or a power plant, or power line, or oil tankers, or natural gas facilities, or whatever.
“Homeland Security” is, at best, a false feeling of security; at worst, it is delusional.
I’m not one to get into opinions about politics too much because it usually leads to a big argument. With that said, I think that President Bush wants to get rid of Amtrak so bad that he might just roll out the welcome mat to any terrorist who wants to blow up Amtrak. Reverse psycology. No terrorist is going to destroy something that our goverment doesn’t want. I think that Amtrak is protected by our goverments own ignorance.
Disclaimer - If you took the above statement too seroiusly, or you are offended, then you must be from Florida and your likely to drive into the side of park freight engine stopped on a crossing. Ask yourself, how does one blow up the entire Amtrak network??
Here’s to little w and big JEB…
CC
I am a former Air Force historian and I have some experience with force protection having served on the Los Angeles Air Force Base base security council.
I agree that the best defense is a good offense. That said, the best defense people on trains have against terrorism is to be vigilent. Having seen some boorish/drunken behavior on trains, I think Amtrak personnel must deal with that very promptly and harshly because that sort of stuff can be a distraction from real threats.
On a recent Coast Starlight trip, a passenger told me he had heard that Federal marshals had been placed on intercity trains in the wake of London. I doubt this occurred. If it did, it was probably only one or two officers and with an 11 car train, it would be very difficult for them to stop a suicide bomber.
I have seen former security types on Fox News claim that technology now exists that can be used on trains to detect chemicals present in most common explosives. If that technology can ever be mastered, then perhaps it can be made into some sort of “wand” for train staff. You’ll never been able to scan each passenger on commuter trains, but on Amtrak intercity trains you could. But we’re probably not at that point technologically or cost-wise yet.
Though I tend to support more security not less, I do think the recent problems railfans have had with local railroad or transit police is worrying. Provided that train fans are on public property and not interfering with train staff, they should be allowed to snap photos. If transit/rail officials do not believe that terrorists have already done reconnaissance on our rail system, they’re smoking something. The first rule of countersurveillance is to assume you are already under surveillance. Clearing out train fans from platform #9 isn’t going to change that.
Why dont they just let railfans do the job for free?[:I] Almost all of us would know when somethinf was wrong[:I][8D][:D][:o)][:0][:p]
Well in all fairness, no terrorist is going to be able to hijack the Amtrak 41 and crash it into sears tower…
Exactly - and given the number of mobile phones with cameras around these days, are the transit authorities planning to ban the use of all mobile phones on stations ? (and I think I know the answer to that one…)
Of course that is important, but it would be nice if the solution were that simple. The London suicide bombers were born and raised in the UK, by all accounts normal members of the community, raising families, playing cricket and football - in other words, the people next door. How they go from that to hating us so much that they willing to kill us by blowing themselves up is causing a lot of soul searching here. Whatever we do I think we need to make sure it’s very carefully targetted and doesn’t just provide more ‘ammunition’ for the evil people who want to encourage others to become terrorist martyrs.
Tony
or in other words you can’t crash a train into the White House or the Capitol.
Exactly. That will happen when trains can steer, and pigs fly.[:p]
Since 9/11 our world has changed. Much of the so-called security meaures we are witnessing is nothing but “show and tell”. I’m approaching this issue from the perspective of a recently retired state police officer. The recent issue of Metra /and/or local police telling railfans recent ant-terrorist laws supercede the Constitution is nothing but bull. Railfans can be an invaluable resource to law enforcement, and we(the cops) need to treat them with a little common courtesy, and common sense. Certainly we need to be alert, but we needn’t alienate one of our most valuable resources,that being the railfan. As a group, I’ve found them to be pretty ***ed patriotic.
Haveing a Home land security is ok. Taking away our freedom to Railfan is not!
Allan.