It wasn't the battery that caused the TSA's reaction it was people running past the security screening to air-side.
The TSA couldn't take the chance that the battery incident hadn't been a diversion to enable someone with nefarious intent to get airside in the ensuing chaos.
Already de-gated planes were required to return to the gates in case said nefarious person has also got onto the apron.
If panicking people hadn't gone past security it would have been resolved a lot quicker.
Whilst, with the benefit of hindsight, I do think security (especially american) often over-reacts and I would have mightily pissed off if my plane had been cancelled/delayed I can understand the decision making/procedures used.
And now I've put on my flame suit ready for everyone telling me I'm an apologist for the government and am a brain-washed sheep with no independent thought who believes the fake news/mainstream media.
We've reached the point where our own actions do the damage, rather than those of our enemies. Considering that has been their goal from the beginning, we're not doing too well.
It wasn't the battery that caused the TSA's reaction it was people running past the security screening to air-side.
The TSA couldn't take the chance that the battery incident hadn't been a diversion to enable someone with nefarious intent to get airside in the ensuing chaos.
Already de-gated planes were required to return to the gates in case said nefarious person has also got onto the apron.
If panicking people hadn't gone past security it would have been resolved a lot quicker.
Whilst, with the benefit of hindsight, I do think security (especially american) often over-reacts and I would have mightily pissed off if my plane had been cancelled/delayed I can understand the decision making/procedures used.
And now I've put on my flame suit ready for everyone telling me I'm an apologist for the government and am a brain-washed sheep with no independent thought who believes the fake news/mainstream media.
No one likes delays, but I'd much rather my flight be re-scheduled than having to face a real threat whilst in the air.
About the size of it.
I never did understand why the "Islamic" terrorists are seen as being more of an issue then the IRA was? They were actually good at it.
The **NICE** thing about suicide bombers is that they are all by definition inexperienced amateurs, and the thing has to be kind of self limiting, really not worth worrying about.
IRA were very good. This is the truth...
We've reached the point where our own actions do the damage, rather than those of our enemies. Considering that has been their goal from the beginning, we're not doing too well.
If, as a target government, you over-react on every opportunity possible, and continue over-reacting to specific tactics well after any individual style of threat has lost any real effectiveness (because you now know about it) you're acting as a force multiplier for the enemy. Our governments respond to every new tactic by creating new highly specific laws, and institutionalizing ineffective but highly visible security measures. Instead of defusing the tactics by reassuring the public, they potentiate the tactics by introducing as many continual reminders of the threat as possible.
No one visibly gives a fuck here in the UK apart from people who's job it is to give a fuck about it. That's SOP here
Having got stuck in the whole 7/7 bomb thing, most people were just annoyed about not being able to get home or there being a coffee drought than actually worrying about being blown up.
IRA were very good. This is the truth...Number of deaths in Hungary due to terrorism:
1970-2017: 0
I'm not gonna post any other statistics, as it would assume a causality.
IRA were very good. This is the truth...Number of deaths in Hungary due to terrorism:
1970-2017: 0
I'm not gonna post any other statistics, as it would assume a causality.Eh?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Budapest_bombing
One can make a Darwinian argument here.
In the second world war London got the arse bombed out of it. In a bombing raid the quickest way to get killed is to run around like a headless chicken, the best way to stay alive is to remain relatively calm and find cover. So those (common people) who survived the WWII Blitz were those genetically predisposed to relative calmness in the fact of danger.
On the other hand, the ruling classes were either in their country homes or in bunkers under Westminster. So they suffered no evolutionary pressure from the Blitz that bred out the instincts that cause fear-driven deaths.
So we reach the current day, where the common people (i.e. thee and me) say "keep calm and carry on, it's not a significant threat" and the ruling classes run around like headless chickens who think the sky is falling and legislate for sky wardens, the pointless building of sky props and a standing sky defence force*.
*This not a mixed metaphor, it's a scrambled [egg] metaphor.
No one visibly gives a fuck here in the UK apart from people who's job it is to give a fuck about it. That's SOP here
Having got stuck in the whole 7/7 bomb thing, most people were just annoyed about not being able to get home or there being a coffee drought than actually worrying about being blown up.
And yet despite knowing it was just a noise, TSA cleared the airport, including recalling aircraft back to the gate to deplane and re-screen everyone... de facto shut down the airport for 4h. Makes no damned sense to me (other than in the context of security theatre, where making a show of "security" is more important than actual security...).
1. It was a nutjob, and not a terrorist
That said, security theatre is reassuring to many.
...
And even worse, it makes a pretty poor headline...
Even though it's a compelling story, I doubt that such a immediate, profound and lasting effect can be seen. Not in small part because the bombs simply fell where they did. Being calm or smart doesn't save you, which is one of the cruelties of war.
Obviously, I would love any statistics that make the argument.