From: Alan Olsen <alano@teleport.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Oct 95 09:21:34 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: airport security
Message-ID: <199510141621.JAA19984@desiree.teleport.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 07:16 AM 10/14/95 -0400, Bob Bruen wrote:

>  The US is merely trying to catch up to what the Europeans have been doing
>for over a decade. In fact, the US still has a way to go. You ought to pass
>through Heathrow in London some time to see what real airport security looks
>like. The US security changes are a recent response, starting after the
>World Trade Center bombing and being stepped up on a continuing basis.
>Today you need a picture ID to board with your ticket. Tomorrow...? We have
>lived in relative safety compared to the rest of the world, but I think those
>days are over. 

I remember back during one of the previous FAA panics over terrorism.  I was
at the Portland airport discussing the measures with an FAA inspector.  He
explained why they had to have all the searches and stuff to stop anyone
from blowing up the plane.  I pointed out to him that if anyone wanted to do
that, they would just lay off a line of mortars from the hills overlooking
the airport across the river.  He got very quiet and very worried...

You cannot stop someone who is determined to do terrorist acts.  And the
more the government stomps down on descent, the more various groups will get
pissed off and perform terrorist acts, which will cause them to crack down
even harder.  (And on and on and on.)  They forget that the imposition of
order increases the escalation of chaos.

What does this have to do with crypto?  Not a whole lot, other than it will
be one of the first thing to be outlawed in the futile attempt to stomp out
unauthorized communications.  Gotta watch the proles every minute...

"Welcome to the global village!" - Marshall "Number 6" McLuhan
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