Annice
You’ve all heard, read, and seen the story of the “Underwear Bomber,” or “Christmas Day Bomber,” if you prefer. To recap: the alleged bomber, 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, sewed a pack of explosive powder in his briefs on a flight from Amsterdam, on Christmas Day, to Detroit, with the goal of blowing up a plane full of people.
I know the big story here is the failure of airport security and U.S. intelligence, but, to be honest, I couldn’t stop looking at his photo. I mean, strapping an explosive in your underwear? Only to have the bomb fail and burn your crotch? It’s very hard to comprehend the mind of such a young man, willing to die for a cause. We can call him a terrorist-it’s a convenient word everyone understands-but what I don’t understand is how broken a human spirit can be to drive a young man to try to kill a plane full of innocent people.
The bigger question for me is, what kind of airport security can ever hope to tackle that? The boy’s own father was so concerned about his son’s behavior and involvement in extreme Islamist activities that he alerted U.S. and Nigerian authorities. Those cries for help were ignored. The boy was granted a visa; he bought a one-way ticket to Detroit, and paid for it with $3000 in cash. Were authorities just too lazy to follow through, or just too dependent on airport security and their fancy technology?
Now, because of the Underwear Bomber, there is talk about a digital strip-search, using x-rays designed to capture, record, and store images of us naked. 
Add that to the hassle of removing our shoes prior to boarding a plane. And don’t forget the threat of liquid bombs that require us to put all our toiletries into 3.4 oz bottles and shove them into a quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag.
Even with all that airport security, some experts have warned that they will never be able to eliminate all risk, especially if someone is determined to strap a plastic explosive to his body. And while I’m grateful for the technology being used to save my life, wouldn’t it serve us better to pay attention to the simple things, like a father’s warning?
Related posts:
- On Sending my Daughter off to Africa
- Social Security at Risk: Sign the AARP Petition!
- Visiting My 84-Year-Old Dad
Tags: airport security, Christmas Bomber, digital strip search, terrorists, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Underwear Bomber
Couldn’t agree more–except! There is no system free of human error or of inability to see when something needs to be addressed. To be consistent and notice what should be noticed we develop machines who learn to do what they need to do whether they are bored or not. I hate it, but that is the way it is.
Annice, I really enjoyed reading your post. There were so many signs. I agree with you, instead of creating more and more so-called sophisticated devices that make all of us Americans feel more and more like we live in a police state, maybe the most obvious ones should be heeded. Thank you for this observation. Did I mention how much I enjoy your posts?