ON Sept. 11, 2001, 19 terrorists casually boarded four US planes and transformed a relatively safe, convenient and comfortable way of traveling into a weapon of mass destruction.
The coordinated 9/11 attacks a perfect storm of religious fanaticism, open flight training on American soil, easy access to airplanes and one-way tickets rendered innocence obsolete.
Spurred by terrorisms global transmission and continued near-miss assaults, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ramped up security measures on numerous fronts.
All fliers, regardless of age or degree of physical infirmity, were regarded as potential terrorists. Security staff removed box cutters, scissors and sharp objects.
Carry-on bags were searched for content; laptops had to be removed from their cases; perspiring palms held on to airline tickets and drivers licenses to verify the holders identity.
Once on board, some passengers routinely played spot the air marshal. And instead of focusing on a newspaper as personnel pointed out the exits, eyes followed in rapt attention.
Safety was the ultimate concern, and the vast majority of passengers assented.
Successive terrorist attempts since 9/11 all thwarted not only added to the list of precautions, they seemed to influence the TSAs procedural response.
After Richard Reids botched effort to blow up a French airliner, travelers were forced to put their shoes in gray baskets awaiting them in security lines.
Lighters also were prohibited from purses and carry-on luggage.
The 2006 transatlantic plot uncovered in England, involving terrorists who planned to detonate liquid explosives on 10 airlines commuting from the UK to the US and Canada, resulted in the 3-1-1 regulation truncating the amount of liquids, gels, creams, paste and aerosols allowed in carry-on luggage.
Under 3-1-1, passengers are allowed to store surplus liquids in checked baggage but what about the potential dangers lurking inside checked baggage?
The recent near miss that began in Yemen now shines a more rigorous investigative light on cargo and the originating countries.
But new regulations stemming from the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing, when a Nigerian flying from Amsterdam to the US tried to ignite an explosive device, have really angered Americans.
In the wake of that attempt, the TSA decided to install full-body scanners that detail intimate body parts (minus the head) and broaden aggressive pat downs. Read related IJN editorial
As Americans fly on the Thanksgiving Day weekend, the busiest season in the airline industry, some are loudly criticizing these measures as invasive, insulting, and a strike against human dignity and freedom.
It seems Americans are willing to walk a mile out of their way to ensure security in the skies unless the path appears more like a desperate detour than a realistic tool against terrorism, which many citizens argue.
The Intermountain Jewish News called several Denver-area Jews to gauge their take on full-body scans, enhanced pat downs and their effectiveness in preventing terrorist attacks in the once friendly skies.
Several were too busy preparing for Thanksgiving, while others said they needed more time to formulate their answers.
Maybe next week?
The following Denverites submitted to the IJNs opinion poll and willingly opened their minds to our search.
IM at DIA getting my shoes shined, David Japha tells the IJN Tuesday. The brouhaha over scans and body searches is much ado about absolutely nothing. Zip.
Japha, who was on his way home to Israel after conducting business in Denver, says that everyone is being treated nicely. People are going through metal detectors as usual, and some people got patted down.
I went through security in five minutes and my ticket says international.
A frequent flyer, Japha travels as often as some people go grocery shopping constantly.
Still, he insists hes no expert regarding the TSAs new regulation and the attendant outrage.
If you ask me, its more for show than substance, he says of the tougher rules. Im not saying it wont help.
But I do believe that by the time you get in the security line without being checked, thats a bit late.
If all this is reactive, its a mistake. If its preemptive, its good.
My opinion is that we should make traveling as safe as possible.
Well-versed in El Als security procedures passengers dont even check in their luggage until theyve answered a series of revealing questions posed by officials Japha isnt sure the airlines success rate in thwarting terrorism will fly in the US.
Youre talking huge numbers of people in the US, he says. Its all well and good that Israel does a great job. All international travelers in Israel leave out of Ben Gurion.
But how many flights depart Ben Gurion vs. flights coming out of JFK? Newark? Chicago? Detroit? LA? Miami? Weve got a lot of big airports in America.
The attorney has developed a winged philosophy grounded in G-ds will. I always say, Im expecting to fly tomorrow, and with G-ds help, Ill land.
Since 9/11, our world has changed. Fear has become a way of life. You go to work thinking everything will be normal. You also realize that one morning your office might not be there.
Nine years after Sept. 11, we assume and it didnt take much time for this to come about that everythings going to happen exactly the way we expect it to.
So every time I fly, Im hopeful that its going to be safe, boring and uneventful and Im grateful when it is.
JOHN Hirshman, a corporate pilot who moved back to Denver a year ago with his wife, flew on two commercial planes Tuesday.
He says that DIA was crowded, but he didnt notice people protesting the full body scanners or pat down procedures.
Overall, I feel most new regulations are a knee-jerk reaction to anything that happens involving an airline incident, Hirshman says. Im a bit skeptical.
The TSA is trying to do a good job with security, but by the same token its really an eye wash for the public. It wants to show that its doing something.
Hirshman, who typically dresses in uniform and always carries the proper ID when hes at an airport, passes through metal detectors but rarely encounters a pat down.
As a pilot, if I had to go through a full-body scan every day, Id want some more information on radiation and microwaves that these devices emit, he says.
Despite the massive security efforts enacted by the TSA, Hirshman isnt confident that what they are doing right now is effective against terrorism.
There are shoulder-fired missiles and other ways to blow up planes that dont involve explosives. The world is a massive arms depot today.
While others view profiling as politically incorrect, Hirshman favors the technique Israelis have successfully utilized for years.
If I ran the world, Id hire the Israelis to do our screening, he says.
During the height of PLO airplane hijackings in the 1970s, which were aided and abetted by Germanys Baader-Meinhof gang, passengers throughout Europe were ushered into small rooms and searched head to toe.
Physical pat downs are not that new, Hirshman says. But from what Ive heard, the current searches are more aggressive.
After the recent Yemen plot involving cargo planes, Hirshman is pleased that there are big pushes to ensure all packages are properly examined.
When it comes to a terrorist attack, he agrees with the adage that, Its not a question of if, its more a question of when.
Still, he feels very safe in flight.
I feel a lot safer up there than going back and forth on I-225 or I-70, he says. We have an outstandingly safe system.
Could we do better? Im sure we could. But considering the volume of air travel in America, I think its amazingly secure.
AREL Mishory, an artist and Orthodox resident of Denvers Westside, cant wait to unload her frustration over what she characterizes as a rude invasion of her privacy.
I dont travel a lot, Mishory says. And the reason I dont travel is because I dont want to subject myself to the unpleasantness of scanning. I want to go to Israel, but the thought of doing it under these conditions is daunting.
Her personal opinion?
I agree with Patrick Henry, who said anyone who is willing to give up essential liberties for temporary security deserves neither, Mishory says.
TSAs latest defense against terrorism is like closing the barn door after the horses have escaped. Were always a few steps behind these clever terrorists.
She rejects the notion that all security measures, no matter how demeaning, should be encouraged if they prevent the actions of a single terrorist.
I dont believe any of this can stop one terrorist. We will try and outwit them, of course but X-rays cant detect plastics.
What comes next? A search of internal cavities?
Asked about profiling, Mishory reflects that its an interesting and misunderstood concept.
Profiling is about using our wits and recognizing that statistically people who come from certain countries have pulled off these attacks, she says.
Im not saying that American-born terrorists wont try to do something. But in Israel, airline personnel are skilled enough to ask questions and notice body language.
We have to train people in the US to be suspicious, Mishory says. Save the groping for people who look like they deserve it.
In America, we think its much easier to train someone to do invasive searches than really look into a persons eyes, ask the right questions and watch their body language.
WESLEY Stark, a CPA who calculates financial statistics for a living, gives an impromtu risk-benefit analysis regarding momentary discomfort vs. long-range security
I want to be safe on an airplane, Stark says without hesitation, and if the TSA feels these new regulations make it safer for us to travel, Im in favor of them.
If I had my choice of a body scan or a pat down, Id prefer a body scan. But even if something feels intrusive, Id rather be safe than sorry.
Besides, do you think the person looking at all these scans is really going to care or remember anything about you, apart from the fact that you didnt have any explosives on your person?
Although Stark travels six to 10 times a year a respectable amount of air time he doesnt classify himself as a frequent flyer.
Still, Stark values a safe departure and landing above all other considerations.
Profiling, when added to existing screening protocols, would go a long way toward guaranteeing a soft and secure landing.
The system is pretty good, he says. No airplane has been blown out of the sky in a long time. Yes, there have been close calls, but the terrorists were caught before they inflicted any damage.
While current criticisms leveled at body scans and pat downs are understandable, Stark says they pale in comparison to the real possibility of terrorism.
Neither you or I would want to be on the airline where they failed to apprehend the terrorists nor would any of those people complaining right now.
ANDREA Shpall, president and co-owner of Polk Majestic Travel, offers a pragmatic solution to the IJNs query.
Whether or not you like the new rules, the time to protest is not when youre in the security line, Shpall stresses. If you choose to go through that line, be prepared to go through the entire process.
You can write letters later if youre unhappy.
But if youre a traveler standing in an airport security line, do what you have to do and get on with it.
Copyright © 2010 by the Intermountain Jewish News
