At 08:54 AM 4/10/04 -0700, Steve Schear wrote:
Wolfe is also scathing of steps taken post September 11 to protect airports. "It's not real security. This is eyewash security. This is for public consumption so that people think that they are doing something."
Several years ago, on this list I belive, I coined a word to describe such foolery - securisimilitude.
"Security theatre" is perhaps as good, and fewer syllables besides. "Fortress America" might be "Maginot-Asylum America" more precisely. PS: what happens if your passport's chip doesn't work? Do you get sent back and the airline fined $10K? Do you wait extra time while the still-readable passport number indexes your record online? How much extra time? (Anyone have experience with domestic eg traffic pigs discovering that your magstrip is corrupted?) Are all chip biometrics encrypted with the same key? How much does that cost on BlackNet these days? How much extra should our Seals Flaps and Documents dept charge? ---- Do you need an air quality management district permit to burn hostages?