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As
a frequent traveler who is also a travel journalist, I'm constantly
on the lookout for a good story. And there are plenty. However,
among the wide range of tales to be told, the one that has remained
paramount is airport security.
9/11
was able to happen, in large part, to the poor security that was
in place at our airports. Or rather, wasn't in place. Sadly,
it took an event as enormous as the Twin Towers and 3,000 human
beings to be blown into oblivion before we woke up and smelled
the jet fuel. This was our new reality.
Since
then, tighter security measures have been installed at airports
across America. The FBI spent hundreds of hours interviewing thousands
of applicants for the new Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) positions. Only the sharpest and most alert would make the
cut. Homeland security was born.
These
are the men and woman you now see at airport security, overseeing
counter agents, and checking your government-issued ID at every
turn. They wear white shirts that proudly boast the TSA insignia.
In
their first year, airport security was very tight. And while a
nuisance for those of us who travel frequently, we were happy
to oblige because 9/11 was a dose of reality that didn't need
repeating in order to learn our lesson. Or so we thought.
The
two-year anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. There will be TV specials
and memorials honoring those who paid the ultimate price for America's
complacency. But memorials are not enough. Consistency and persistence
will keep us safe, not TV specials. After all, wasn't it Al Qaeda's
consistency and persistence that gave them victory on our soil
in the first place?
Over
this summer, I began to notice a change in TSA agents at airports
across the nation. There has been more smiling, chatter, joking,
idle gossip, flirting, and lots of inattention. Let me be clear.
It's not all TSA agents, not even the majority, but enough
to give terrorists the weak links they seek for their next plan
of action.
History
has shown that terrorists wait patiently until our guard is down
before launching a strike. During that time they canvas our airports,
seaports, and other venues for weak spots. Forgive the cliché,
but aren't we only as strong as our weakest link? If I were a
terrorist I'd find delight in what is beginning to happen at some
American airports.
(CONTINUE...)
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