boston bombing

[kandrathe]

My question (and the real subject of this thread) was how it is possible that such people are allowed to come and live in the US, while it is so difficult for us law abiding non-extremist citizens to go to the US on holidays.

Unquestioningly it is security theatre where the appearance of security is more important than actually preventing or protecting anyone. We wouldn't want aunty mimsie so scared of plastic butter knives being wielded by those dark skinned, turban wearing sikhs (she confuses them with the A-rabs). So we'll just ban anyone from plastic cutlery altogether. After the shoe bomber, we just had to ban shoes (at least for part of the journey). After the underwear bomber, we just stopped wearing underwear altogether... while flying at least... I did enjoy that time when anti-TSA protesters only wore underwear (at least sometimes). Some billions of dollars later, we've developed a way to see through clothes, and then after some more billions, we've developed away to obscure the image so the perverts operating the devices must again rely on their natural prejudices for profiling passengers for more vigorous groping. The crucial point here is that passengers continue to spend billions of dollars flying, and along the way the providers of security, and the makers of security devices have made billions of dollars performing in an airport near you. You are not safer. This is the only down side. I do find it ironic that our response to the terrorism committed by Islamic fundamentalists is to enact security measures that would be reprehensible to the sensibilities of muslims, whether it be the scanners that can penetrate a burka, or having anyone not halal touch them.

It is as irrational as the other government theatres of the absurd, like a "War on Poverty" which created a generations of dependency. Or, a "War on Drugs" which makes POW's out of casual drug users (47% of US prison inmates are drug offenders), while being almost entirely ineffective at impacting imports of drugs and exports of cash.

I'm reminded of this.

They want your passport, your finger prints, and full body scan to put in their penis size database. Please elaborate.

Small minds have small imaginations?