Register Air Travelers? P-shaw!

[tycoonjack]

Register Air Travelers? P-shaw!

In the wake of 9/11, it's understandable that concerns over airport security would become de rigueur for both politicians and ordinary airline passengers.

The flurry of reaction has ranged from sensible to bizarre. The poor training and pay of U.S. airport screeners finally came into the limelight, resulting in steps toward a long-needed upgrade.
On the other hand, vast sums are being spent on supposed technological solutions, such as expensive explosive-detection systems of limited utility, especially when used against simple, low-tech weaponry.

Ironies abound. Airline passengers early on saw their nail clippers and tweezers confiscated, but were still permitted to carry on pens, pencils, keys and any number of other common items that could render injury or even death in trained hands.

In addition to the focus on items that individuals carry onto planes, attempts to scrutinize people themselves using a variety of computer-based profiling systems are part of a growth industry.