tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1238977480038352087.post7250050692064845572..comments2023-11-03T03:47:37.888-07:00Comments on Homeland Reading List: Canadian broadcaster plays gotcha with Secretary Napolitanostewart.bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782033569166427999noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1238977480038352087.post-71228486983375165042009-04-25T19:39:00.000-07:002009-04-25T19:39:00.000-07:001. This is a variant of the "If it ain't perfect,...1. This is a variant of the "If it ain't perfect, it ain't worth doing at all." Last time I looked, police patrols didn't stop all crime. So we should fire the cops, too? <br />2. We are making it harder for people to get fake ID, and it isn't as easy as you think.<br />3. The numbers have been misrepresented. Lots of the added names are just phonetic variations. And in any event, the real problem here is that the privacy campaigners have prevented the government from asking for birthdates so we can separate the people we're looking for from the ones we're not. If you think the ACLU is screwing up your travel experience, I won't disagree with you.<br />4. No, it's not odd at all. and when the Administration brings Gitmo detainees to the US and tries to try them, I bet you'll see plenty of people who can't be convicted but shouldn't be on planes.stewart.bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01782033569166427999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1238977480038352087.post-21412292024121725162009-04-24T07:59:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:59:00.000-07:00The problems with the no-fly list are:
1. It only...The problems with the no-fly list are:<br />1. It only stops the "honest" terrorists (i.e. the ones who use their real names), or the ones who aren't clever enough to circumvent it (various methods have been reported frequently. They probably all don't work, but I bet many do).<br />2. It generates way too many false positives. Depending on who you believe, there are between 2000 and 700,000 names on the list. They aren't all deadly threats. This drives the costs way up and takes money away from some more effective defenses.<br />3. The whole notion that some people are so dangerous that they can't be allowed on an airplane, but so innocent that they can't be arrested seems a bit odd, don't you think?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08500231240775947971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1238977480038352087.post-1394174428832615742009-04-22T13:08:00.000-07:002009-04-22T13:08:00.000-07:00I agree that history is important, but I don't bel...I agree that history is important, but I don't believe in misleading pop quizzes as a press tactic. And if you really believe in history, it's hard to understand why you want to scrap the no-fly list.stewart.bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01782033569166427999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1238977480038352087.post-13164868598834500632009-04-21T12:07:00.000-07:002009-04-21T12:07:00.000-07:00If the Secretary can't remember how the 9/11 perpe...If the Secretary can't remember how the 9/11 perpetrators entered the country, she deserves what she gets. Excusing it as mere "history" is to ignore the lessons that it teaches and allows all sorts of ridiculous, dangerous and expensive ideas to be afforded credible status.<br /><br />The whole notion of the no-fly list is flawed. Getting rid of it would at least be a start to a credible national defense.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08500231240775947971noreply@blogger.com