News Smart Talk Tom Ridge and Penn State expert offer suggestions on fighting terrorism
| Tom Ridge and Penn State expert offer suggestions on fighting terrorism |
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| Sunday, 10 January 2010 20:39 |
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 Radio Smart Talk -- Monday, January 11: "Connecting the dots."  That's the new catch line used to describe what those charged with rooting out terrorists didn't do to stop a Nigerian man from boarding a plane Christmas Day and attempting to blow it up over Detroit.  In the two weeks since, we've learned the would be suicide bomber's father had warned U.S. officials about his son being radicalized in Yemen and there were other warning signs that no one apparently followed up on.  Fortunately, the explosive material wasn't rigged properly and passengers jumped on the bomber and wrestled him to the floor before he could detonate it. Listen to the show:
    The question most people have is how an act of terrorism could occur (or at least come so close to occurring) eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks when so many precautions have been taken and security measures implemented.  There has been a lot of finger pointing. President Obama has ordered new security rules and policies.  But are we really safe?  Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary (and PA governor) Tom Ridge offers his own suggestions Monday morning on Radio Smart Talk, including the possibility of passengers undergoing iris and fingerprint scanning before boarding an airplane.  Also joining us will be Dr. Michael Kenney, a Fellow at Penn State's International Center for the Study of Terrorism, who also teaches at Penn State/Harrisburg.   Comments (5)
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written by Lisa , January 11, 2010, 08:23:30 AM I have become increasingly annoyed by the criticisms of the government security entities. Who is holding the airline accountable for ever letting this individual to board in the first place? In this day and age, who boards a plane with a one-way ticket and no luggage? Especially someone with an obviously Muslim name. This should have been a major flag-waving for airport security and this individual minimally should have been patted down and questioned. Having flown in and out of Schipol airport for business (and seen their security in action) I thoroughly believe that this is firstly an incidence of lax airport security and only secondly an incidence of security intelligence failure. Airport security is our first line of defense and, in this case, it failed. report abuse
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written by John , January 11, 2010, 09:00:08 AM I recognize that every life is precious, however, when you balance the risk to the costs involved in the creation and implementation of Homeland Security and the infrastructure that went into it, it appears we are losing this war. Looking at the scenarios,... a small band of terrorists in a single attack in 9/11, Richard Reed, and now the Christmas attack... have transformed our lives, restricted our liberties, significantly reduced the value of the dollar, our finances, and the perception of our nation internationally. Al Qaeda appears to be winning …. destroying our national foundation of the pursuit of liberty and happiness , and financially through simplistic and minimalistic attacks. report abuse
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written by BJ , January 11, 2010, 09:13:37 AM What we neglect at our peril is the idea of human nature to want to build empires. Because of a lack of focus on the cause we risk power empires by those agency's my cabinet's more useful then yours, therefore I need more power. Leaving behind the original objective to protect the whole in favor of kingdom making. report abuse
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written by AM , January 11, 2010, 10:10:26 AM Commentators BJ and Murial bring our attention to reasons people turn to terror tactics. As one caller said, there are underlying causes. If someone murders your brother most people will want or hope for revenge. The terrorists seek revenge for their "lost brothers" and for the US to stay out of the internal affairs of their countries. Why they revert to horrible terroristic tactics is more difficult to define. Perhaps it is analogous to an animal cornered with no other way to survive than to fight with whatever means it has. Most of us are aware that for every American killed in the wasteful wars multiple people, including many innocents, are killed on the enemies side. Could this create hate and cause people to seek revenge? Airport security is not only about what and how much is required, but where should security begin. There were over two hundred on the plane going to Detroit. However, hundreds of people cluster in large airports waiting for flights. Could it happen in the airport during or before checking in? Even upon arrival at an airport it could be too late to begin screening people. Are there viable screening methods that will end terroristic acts? Will more aggressive war methods stop the terrorists? Unfortunatley, probably not. Should the focus be to look for the root causes of terrorism and call for our government to review foreign policy? Why are we fighting these wars in unbelievably poor countries? Today we are told the war is to stop terrorists but what caused these terrorists' hatred? Are the root causes being addressed? report abuse
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written by Robert Colgan , January 11, 2010, 10:11:57 AM I caught only the last part of the show when a female caller made an impassioned plea to understand that this is a situation of constantly reaping what is sown. She is right. What has impressed me since the falsity of 9/11--an attack of epic spurious proportion in which one of the remote buildings mysteriously, perfectly fell into its own footprint 5 hours after the twin towers fell--- the pilots were ascertained to be Saudis, then we invaded Afghanistan against the Taliban/al Queada (in large part our creation during the Soviet occupation) and then Iraq claiming "Weapons of Mass Destruction" ("Related Activities," addendum) . . . .and we are still there with 100,000 soldiers in Iraq and 40,000+? in Afghanistan and have built huge longterm fortresses, airfields, and "embassies" . . . And yet it was found that the whole thing was predicated on lies. The Downing St memo reveals that Bush intended to invade Iraq, Un inspectors be damned, TheProjectForANewAmericanCentury indicated a "Pearl Harbor-like event" was needed to perpetuate imperial ambitions in the Mideast with all of its authors the key policy players in the Bush/Cheney term. And the American people bought it hook, line, and sinker. We were, and are being sold a lie--------a lie that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and cost trillions of dollars. The lie is alive and well. The Peace Corps costs are in millions, the Military costs in trillions: it is clear where American policy lies. War, and War Related Activities are the true grist of American foreign policy. Of course there will be blowback. report abuse
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