Beginning at midnight tonite, all travelers flying into the United States from foreign countries will receive "tightened random screening", and all passengers from 14 countries will be patted down and have their carry-ons searched, the Obama administration was notifying airlines on Sunday.
From Politico:
"These are changes that weren’t widely in place for all carriers or countries on 12/24," a senior administration official told POLITICO. "These are sustainable measures that are a significant enhancement of our security posture. TSA will continuously review these measures with our global aviation partners to ensure the highest levels of security."
All passengers from countries on the State Department’s "State Sponsors of Terrorism" list – plus all passengers from other "countries of interest" such as Nigeria, Pakistan and Yemen — will receive "full body pat-down and physical inspection of property," the official said.
The countries on the State Department list are Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. Other countries covered by the TSA directive include Afghanistan, Libya and Somalia. A complete list was not released.
http://www.politico.com/...
Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer is suggesting, per ABC News, that U.S. Airlines should just stop flying to International Destinations with questionable security. (Apparently, that would mean the ENTIRE E.U.!)
OK...
While I applaud security measures that should have been taken YEARS AGO, I've got to ask when Racial Profiling suddenly became OK??
Remember how many diaries decried EXACTLY this Treatment under the Bush-Run TSA?
RANT: Flying while Arab: Guilty as Charged!
Fri Jul 23, 2004
http://www.dailykos.com/...
"Travelling While Brown": Tribune staffer detained for speaking Arabic
Sun Nov 06, 2005
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Fox News: "Muslim only" airport lines?
Wed Aug 16, 2006
http://www.dailykos.com/...
What Muslims look like........
Fri Sep 08, 2006
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Why is it that what was bad before, is now required?
Let's face it, folks. It's not that system failed with the Underwear Bomber, the system worked exactly as it should have. It's the PEOPLE that failed.
We had all the info on the person responsible for Detroit that we needed to make it clear he was a threat, yet the PEOPLE in the system couldn't put it together.
RESULT?
We are going to the exact same Racial/National Profiling Rules that so many decried under Bush. The question should be, WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG?
I'm sure traveling grandmothers across the planet are breathing a sigh of relief.