Carnal Reason

When thinking about security measures, ask yourself “what threat could this measure deter?” For example, the last time I flew I had to present my driver’s license three distinct times. What does this accomplish? Well, it ensures that a prospective hijacker must have a driver’s license, or at least some reasonably good counterfeit identity papers. Very comforting. Tying tickets to identities also prevents airline customers from reselling unwanted tickets on secondary markets, which works out pretty well for the airlines.

An Australian politician, Amanda Vanstone, has caused a ruckus by pointing out that the emperor has no clothes.

In a wide-ranging speech to Adelaide Rotarians, Senator Vanstone dismissed many commonwealth security measures as essentially ineffective. “To be tactful about these things, a lot of what we do is to make people feel better as opposed to actually achieve an outcome,” Senator Vanstone said.

“Has it ever occurred to you that you just smash your wine glass and jump at someone, grab the top of their head and put it in their carotid artery and ask anything?” Senator Vanstone told her audience of about 100 Rotarians. “And believe me, you will have their attention. I think of this every time I see more money for the security agencies.”

The Immigration Minister also told of a grisly conversation with Mr Howard during a discussion on increased spending on national security.

Senator Vanstone said: “I asked him if I was able to get on a plane with an HB pencil, which you are able to, and I further asked him if I went down and came and grabbed him by the front of the head and stabbed the HB pencil into your eyeball and wiggled it around down to your brain area, do you think you’d be focusing? He’s thinking, she’s gone mad again.”
Schneier.com

Senator Vanstone violated the tacit agreement not to scare the sheep.

Posted on November 22nd, 2005 by pwyll
Filed under: General