"Speeding past airport security"

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Commentary
Speeding past airport security
By Richard Ruelas
The Arizona Republic


It seemed enough to take off my shoes. Turns out if you really want to
breeze past airport security, strip to your underwear.

That became apparent last Wednesday when a man drove onto a Sky Harbor
International Airport runway clad in nothing but black skivvies.

Although he was never cleared for departure, the man, Damian Holmes, taxied
past several jets along the runway in a stolen truck.

He showed recklessness. He showed a disregard for others' lives. He showed
desperation. But he also showed that our security system at the airport is
more efficient at catching nail files and corkscrews than it is at catching
dangerous individuals who could do some real harm.

You would think that the fencing torn down so easily by this man in a pickup
would not be considered adequate by the federal government. You would be
right.

The Transportation Security Agency considered it more than adequate. All the
government requires is a 6-foot-high chain-link fence. The 8-foot fences and
wrought-iron ones were considered more than enough.

Which might mean that all this talk about airport security is more about
creating an illusion of safety rather than actual safety.

That going through our luggage with rubber gloves will distract us from more
pressing security flaws, such as, maybe, perimeter fencing.

Now that the illusion is shattered, maybe security will ease up a bit. Seems
silly now to worry about nail files, after all.


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