As a result of past terrorist incidents, bags on airplanes are searched. Similarly now with subways, except these are random searches, IIRC.

What's the alternative that can be implemented reasonably quickly? It's easy to criticize, but what do you think he and they should do instead?

Or are you somehow equating Bloomberg with Bush+Cheney and regard any change in security measures as a jackboot across your neck? :-/

It seems to me that the idea of a "web of trust" that someone came up with is something worth pursuing. Society will crawl to a halt if everyone has to be searched before doing anything. Rather than searching everyone, it makes more sense to have an identification system where you have a list of people who will vouche for you. "JB, yeah I know him - he's a little wacky, but he wouldn't hurt a fly." Everyone would have a list of people that could vouche for them. So the system would work like this:

1) JB presents himself at an event requiring identification.
2) JB presents ID saying "I'm JB" with list of people who vouche for him.
3) (Magic Secure Box) checks JB's list against list of vouching people.
4) If they match, JB goes in.
5) If they don't, JB answers questions.

This type of system gets around the problem of coming up with a tamperproof ID that matches the person carrying it. (A fake ID can match a person carrying it but still not prove that the person is who they say they are.)

Yes, it's not perfect. The Magic Secure Box must do its job quickly and be resistant to tampering by people inside and outside the system. But it seems to be a way to minimize the stess on society by concentrating searches, etc., on people who haven't yet demonstrated that they're trustworthy.

I haven't found a linky for the "web of trust" or whatever it was called. If I do, I'll post it.

Cheers,
Scott.

I guess that Ashton's right then: We're all doomed.

On that happy note.[link|http://groups-beta.google.com/group/JokeOfTheDay/msg/3003c95fdaf85b72?hl=en&|...]:

A tourist, seeking respite from the cold northern winter,
landed at the southern airport. In an airport taxi cab,
the tourist asked the driver..."Say, is this really a
healthful place?"

"Oh, sure it is!" the cabby replied. "Look, when I came
here I couldn't even say one word. I had hardly any hair
on my head. I didn't have the strength to walk across a
room, and I had to be lifted out of bed."

"That's absolutely amazing!" said the tourist , "So tell
me, how long have you been here?"

"I was born here."

Yeah, not much of a Joke of the Day, but waddayawantfernothin.

;-)

Cheers,
Scott.