The FBI and the CIA have reported on several occasions that they had reliable information that some sort of terrorist attack had been uncovered. Often, they didn't know where or exactly when it was scheduled to strike but the time frame for it came and went without any attack. Could it be that nothing happened because the attacker was being heald by the authorities and unable to act? I think this likely in many cases over the past six weeks. The intelligence agencies should be commended for the job they are doing now, but should be ashamed of the job they were doing prior to Sept. 11th. This is particularly true of the Immigration Service who has left our borders open to most anyone who wanted to enter and allowed them to overstay their visa's and run free in our country without taking any action. The results of this failure on the part of the INS to do their job were the events of Sept. 11th. Now we will all have to change our lives and loose a little of our freedom to make this country a safe place to live. If you're concerned about increased wire tapping and surveillance in our country now, try to remember that it is for our own safety and security.
Airport security is still a farce and even the latest security equipment is useless without well trained and qualified security personnel who really do give a damn about stopping illegal items from being taken on board a plane, You wouldn't want a McDonalds staff working security at your home or business, so why do the airlines allow it and hire the lowest bidder like Argenbright Security who has convicted criminals on their staff and pays them minimum wage? Airport security is only as good as the people who work it and they need to be replace by federal, or at least professional security employees who can at least recognize a gun in a briefcase when it passes through the x-ray scanner. And what good is a random baggage search of non suspect travelers when 20 other bags go through untouched just because it wasn't their number to be searched. Why do we have armed National Guard Troops in our airports? Do they really think that someone is going to try to highjack the terminal? Why don't they train them to do the security checks with the x-ray machine and metal detectors and save the airlines the cost of hiring a security company to staff them with McDonalds workers? The only improvements I've seen in airline security is the hardened cockpit doors. We don't have to worry too much about highjackers on our planes taking control any more though because we have good red blooded American passengers to stop them now.