Re: airport security

[Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>]

On Sat, 14 Oct 1995, Bob Bruen, MIT Lab for Nuclear Science wrote:

> like. The US security changes are a recent response, starting after the
> World Trade Center bombing and being stepped up on a continuing basis.

They really started earlier this year with the Unabomber threat to bomb 
an LA airliner earlier this year.

The peculiar thing is that skyjackings and aircraft bombings are much 
rarer now than during the '70s.  This is just a control ploy by the 
Feds.  There's no credible increased threat.  They just want to slowly 
introduce an internal passport.

> Today you need a picture ID to board with your ticket. Tomorrow...? We have
> lived in relative safety compared to the rest of the world, but I think those
> days are over. 

I wonder how many have challenged this.  Since IDs are still not required 
in life, what will they do if you simply present yourself without one.  I 
don't see that ID has anything to do with attack threats in any case.  
Attackers are more likely to have ID than to not have ID.

I suppose they are trying to discourage people from buying tickets in 
false names so that the databanks can be more useful to the authorities.

DCF