We should have learned more lessons from 9/11. Specifically, we should have set the first rule in Homeland Security to be: no more stupid bureaucratic policies that endanger our lives!
There were bunches of them before 9/11. Most famously, the "wall" between the FBI and the CIA that hindered sharing intelligence data on terrorists between the two agencies.
But there were plenty of smaller, equally stupid, rules in place for senseless bureaucratic reasons only. Take this one, that has been in place in the Air Marshall Service ever since the beefed up from 30 agents to thousands after 9/11:
- Male field agents were required to wear suits and ties and have no facial hair.
Now, I ask you. How sensible is that on the surface? You are trying to hide armed air marshalls on a plane full of people. You want them inconspicuous. You want the terrorists to operate under a cloud of uncertainty - anyone on the plane could be an air marshall, armed and trained to take you out. Anyone. Except of course, you Mr. Terrorist don't have to worry about any male not wearing a suit, because the powers that be in Washington are more concerned about a dress code than about effective threat prevention!
The air marshalls have been protesting this policy for years. They want to be able to alter their dress to blend in better. Alter their appearance. But no dice as long as Democrat Norman Mineta was Republican George W. Bush's choice to head the Transportation Department. This politically correct attempt at bipartisanship had consequences, notably in stupid policies that made us less safe.
Mineta's gone now. And, today the air marshall's got their change. They no longer have to wear suits on a plane. Sanity is restored. It's five years too late.
What other stupid and unsafe policies are yet to be overturned in the TSA?
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