Chemistry 101

[filkertom]

Jayzus H. Christ on a bicycle.

Even if you completely buy into everything the Bush Administration has ever said about terrorism, this is just insanely stupid and incompetent. And, if you don't... it's right in line with every other damn thing.

Comments

[umbran.livejournal.com]

We get the government we ask for.

Throughout the history of American democracy, when something goes wrong, the public collectively shouts "The government oughta do something!" And government officials understand that if they dont' make a show of it, they won't get elected.

The problem is that we have a situation where the Administration can save more lives by spending on highway safety than on foiling terror plots with airport security. But, the system requires they do something they can point at and say that they're on top of things. Even if they were entirely competent, they'd have to make a show. And they have to do it right now, or else they look unresponsive. That means things are unplanned.

The liquids folks bring onto plains are basically innocuous - mostly potable fluids and toiletries. And those are perfectly safe to dump together. There are no powerful acids or really noxious things in the mix. When the people involved had maybe a couple of hours to devise a plan and get it rolling, it isn't all that nonsensical.

It only fails when put up against real malice - when some wiseass decides to make life even more difficult for everyone by dropping in some chlorine bleach and a well-chosen household cleanser to release a cloud of toxic gas at a gate.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

We get the government we ask for.

What you mean WE, paleface? We got what THEY asked for.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

That's the kind of partisan logic that got us into this mess in the first place, and so I eschew it.

[arucartoonguy.livejournal.com]

From a psuedo-pop psychology standpoint, what they're doing makes a twisted sort of sense.

By inconveniencing everyone who flies, it makes the War on Terr'rrr something directly relateable to them. People have no choice but to deal with the difficulties and therefore are forced to accept ownership of the issue.

It's not WWII-ish 'buy bonds' or scrap metal drives, but it does give everyone a common ground of sacrifice (even if it is just an inconvenience) that makes them feel part of the solution - even if that solution is not working. You can't even complain about it because "it might happen again", although being struck by lightning would be far more probable, and you'd be accused of not being in touch with the Reality of the Terr'rrrists Coming To Kill Us In Our Beds (Red Scare II, coming soon to a nation near you).

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

The liquids folks bring onto plains are basically innocuous - mostly potable fluids and toiletries. And those are perfectly safe to dump together. There are no powerful acids or really noxious things in the mix.

That's the point, though. Either one believes that the precautions really are necessary-- in which case, one believes that there *might just be* dangerous or noxious things in the mix, and therefore they shouldn't be mixing them-- or one believes that the liquids people carry are innocuous, in which case the precautions are unnecessary. What's being pointed out is that the implementation of the policy is inconsistent with believing it's actually a necessary policy.

I, too, think the precautions are unnecessary and being done just for show, so they can look like they're doing something. (Other arguments for that include the point about a liquid attack being a known danger since the 90s, and also the point that baby bottles and medicines are being allowed on, which couldn't be that difficult to fake.)

I think all the photo really illustrates is that the people on the front lines, the minimum-wage TSA employees actually doing the implementing, they aren't buying it, either.