Canada's False Security Alarms

[maplesyrup]

Group claims to have bombed Quebec hydro tower

So much for al-Queda being involved, eh!

Now on to next major security event of this past weekend:

The so-called missing CATSA uniforms. Just saw the Transportation Minister with some of the missing bages - Lapierre stated that the reason the security badges were missing is that cheap velco was used, and the badges just fell off the uniforms. So much for that big crisis at our airports, eh!

Time for people to lose their paranoia about security issues in Canada as Canadians might suspect these issues are milked to create business for the security industry. Anyway what do you expect in the quality of work when you don't pay decent wages?

[Argus]

The so-called missing CATSA uniforms. Just saw the Transportation Minister with some of the missing bages - Lapierre stated that the reason the security badges were missing is that cheap velco was used, and the badges just fell off the uniforms. So much for that big crisis at our airports, eh!

I don't believe anyone was suggesting these 1000 pieces of uniform were stolen by Al Quaeda, but rather that so many pieces going missing leaves open the opportunity for theft.

Time for people to lose their paranoia about security issues in Canada as Canadians might suspect these issues are milked to create business for the security industry. Anyway what do you expect in the quality of work when you don't pay decent wages?

But that's just it; we don't pay decent wages. I believe we're the last country left who still use minimum wage private security contractees to secure our airports. The US used to - before 911 - but clearly saw the errors of their ways. Although the Canadian government instituted a large airport "security fee" several years back it has made little effort to spend that money on improved security. There is no reason to expect another Air India bombing would be prevented today, or that our security is any better than they had at American airports on 911.

[playfullfellow]

Although the Canadian government instituted a large airport "security fee" several years back it has made little effort to spend that money on improved security.

This is fairly typical of the Canadian governments. They impose a larger tax or fee for the better of the Canadian people, then just create a department that uses this money to pay for some ministers office and travel times.. Look at fuel taxes, they are supposed to go back into building better roads. There is nothing wrong with increased security at our airports, there are a lot of nut cases out there and we need to stop as many of them as we can. There is also nothing that states that these nut cases are going to be al-Queda. They could be your local PTA who are pissed at the current government for something.

[maplesyrup]

And we worry about security in Canada - give us a break, eh!

Files detailing Musharraf's security found on road; probe on :

[August1991]

These Musharraf visit papers mean little. From what I heard on the CBC, these papers are standard issue during a visit.

But their discovery and publication signal something else. First, security is a bigger issue now, more instructions are distributed and so more such papers are lying around. In addition, London newspapers are prepared to pay to get such papers. The issue is sexy.

Well, duh.

But let me consider an entirely different thought. The ordinary people in the West (sales reps, parents who lose arguments with teenagers, young people who shack up, gays, single Moms, pensioners who trust a paper cheque, free thinkers, people who share apartments and so on) are relying on government bureaucrats to defend us against a 14th century religious horde who believes the earth doesn't move and women exist to test men's faith in God.

Government bureaucrats? Defend us?

So, what happens next?