Opinion, Berkeley Blogs

Janet Napolitano was right when she announced that the system is working

By Rich Muller

There is no need for full body scans.  It has been eight years since the last successful attack on an airplane.  The only person hurt in the latest incident was the terrorist.  In fact, our system is so successful that we are driving the terrorists to hiding explosives in their underwear and attempting to detonate it with nitro.  That is success: to force the terrorists to use methods that are extreme and difficult and unlikely to succeed.  I don't think the current terrorist had enough high explosive the crash the plane.  At most he would have injured some passengers.  But he could have done that on a bus.  Let's not over-react!  Janet Napolitano was right when she announced that the system is working.  She was attacked for having said that, and she withdrew her statement and apologized.  Obama later criticized her.  But she was right in the first place.  The rest was all politics, trying to look tough.