... Expect to take off your shoes, belt, jewelry and any other foreign metal objects. Most likely you will get wanded just to double check for metal, and your purse or carry-on is subject to search. Objects such as nail clippers and pocket knives are no longer allowed on a plane. As passengers, we are told that this extra time is to make sure nothing harmful gets on a plane. We are supposed to feel comforted by the idea that nail clippers are no longer a threat. Bags are supposably being individually checked before being loaded on the planes. However, if this were true why have we continuously heard stories of people sneaking things on board just to test the security level and surprisingly, getting it on easily. This contradicts the reason for not allowing pocket knives, after all that would be the least of my worries if a bomb was on the plane. When this proved to be a problem, investigations led to the discovery that only some of the bags were being screened and checked. They also found that packages (i.e. mail, Christmas gifts, etc.) were not being checked and therefore it was extremely easy to send something dangerous or harmful via mail. In the weeks following September 11th, congress approved $40 billion for emergency spending and $27 billion for defense and domestic security. Then another $6.7 billion was approved. So why aren't we seeing those dollars hard at work? And why do we still continue to see problems such as these. By saying these things we are creating an illusion of safety that does not exist. However, there have been some changes made; such as many planes have installed bulletproof, locked cockpit doors, some planes have armed air marshals, and in early September of 2002, senate passed a bill that allows pilots to be armed. In airports themselves, changes have been mostly cosmetic while adding inconveniences and hassles, according to Charles Slepian, CEO of the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center. Not much has gotten done regarding airport security. TSA is now onto its second director, can't fully staff airports with federal screeners, and has overturned $350 million dollar budget. Even the government cannot decide if they should federalize the nations 28,000 airport screeners. The Democrats want a group of civil servants watching over the baggage entering the airports. Republicans want the same thing but feel that a group of `overpaid, under motivated bureaucrats' would not be suitable for the job. In October of 2001, Senate passed a version of the bill, which would put airport security screeners on the federal payroll, by a unanimous 100-0 vote. The screeners are required to take a government test to check their credibility. ...
