Okay, okay, this is really ridiculous.
In March, New York will put armed police onto subways. With dogs. And machine guns. Because they believe that this will make us safer.
It won't. It will make you less safe, and possibly also be intimidating.
Police are stationary bandits. It's hard to trust someone who is a demonstrable instrument of the State's monopoly on the use of coercive force. It's even harder to trust one who is making the world a worse place but believes that they are making it a better one.
This won't stop terrorists from suicide bombing the subways. The chubby blue line and his explosive sniffing pooch won't stop it. A terrorist could put his explosives on a dead man trigger and walk into the crowd.
Will they find such a terrorist? Doesn't matter. Will they shoot him? Doesn't matter. Will they kill him? It doesn't matter. They can't stop the explosion, lots will die, more will be terrified and that means that the terrorist would have achieved his or her aims.
In the mean time, war is peace, we're here to help and Big Brother is watching you.
Determined individuals will always find a way. You can't keep the professional burgler out of your house, but that's no reason not to lock your doors. Efforts should be made to stop terrorist attacks. The story from all the Force Protection briefs bears repeating. Some VIP was being surveiled by terrorists. They passed on a plan to kidnap him because he walked around his car every morning, checking for bombs. If he was this vigilant, the terrorists reasoned, they might as well skip to the next target. Come to find out, he was checking his car for scratches after his wife drove it. Security measures might not be 100% effective, but the fact they are in effect can be a deterrent.
That being said, I'd be more impressed with an easing of restrictions on hand-gun permits. Instead of putting the power to do something in a few hands, put it in everyone's. Same thing for airlines. There should be checks to make sure you don't have guns or explosives, but knives, brass knuckles, expandable batons, etc would be fine. As soon as anyone started something, 10 people would beat his ass.
@Josh: An armed society is a polite society. I don't remember who said that, but I certainly felt safer in South Carolina, where there was close to one firearm for every person, than I do in Edinburgh, where there are no handguns whatsoever and even most of the police don't carry weapons. And that feeling is backed by statistics: you are far more likely to be assaulted on the streets of Edinburgh than the streets of Columbia, South Carolina.
And I think that you're absolutely right when it comes to security measures. We should have more of them. Putting armed police with dogs and machineguns onto subways isn't a security measure; it's security theater.
Putting uniformed police onto subways to keep the peace and deter crime in the same way that beat cops are supposed to is a good idea - one that is proven to deter crime, but not terrorism.
Two more small points.
First, if the police want to carry sub-machine guns for the increased firepower, I'm all for it. If they want to carry them to intimidate, I'm not. I think the H&K MP7 is the perfect choice for the former. It's pistol size and can be carried on a thigh holster but is better in almost every way than most sub-machine guns twice its size. I'd gladly take it over anything the military currently issues.
Second, detecting for bombs is fine with me. Having dogs do it might, again, be a little intimidating. There are plenty of high-tech non-invasive devices available to sniff out trace amounts of explosives. Granted, they're not perfect, but they won't give positive errors on doggie treats or a steak lunch either.
A police officer with an H&K MP7 and a bomb-sniffing PDA size device wouldn't stand out in the slightest but would have the same capability or more of one with an Uzi and a german shepherd.
@Josh:
That's a great idea: a police officer with an H&K MP7 and a bomb sniffing PDA looking around our subways. Inobtrusive, doesn't startle the passengers, doesn't make it look like a police state, and I'd venture to say they'll see a lot more than a policeman in a uniform with a dog and carrying an Uzi.
That's great thinking.
Normally, I would argue the other way. When people argue for high-tech and expensive solutions (the MP7 alone is several grand), I usually offer simpler time-tested methods. We tend to get wrapped up in technology being the solution to everything that we miss the cheap easy solutions. In this case though, the added benefit of being unobstrutive would be worth it.
And what about all the riders who are allergic to dogs/dander? Here's a nod to the phobic as well.
Your website is amazing. I wonder just how do you manage to write posts so frequently. I'm very lazy.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of "neighbors" will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune "Social" is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Came across your site whilst surfing on my new Ipad. Site is really nice but for some reason it appears to be slightly out of alignment at the top
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I'm impressed! Very useful information particularly the last part :) I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It absolutely helpful and it has aided me out loads. I hope to contribute & assist other users like its aided me. Great job.
is th is actually a joke? website link bait to get the layout community to link to your controversial decision? aol? severely?
Conc ise and written nicely, tyvm for that information
I was just a little miffed by the inclusion of Aol. and My Minor Pony but around the complete, i suppose th is is a good spherical up of several of th is 12 months is finest and worst design work.
What i find difficult is to find a blog that can capture me for a minute but your blog is different. Bravo!!!
“Many answers to what you seek don’t lie “out there”. If you look inwards, you’ll find the answer has been in you all along.”
wonderful points altogether, you simply gained a new reader. What would you recommend about your post that you made a few days ago? Any positive?
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of "neighbors" will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune "Social" is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Hands down, Apple's app store wins by a mile. It's a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I'm not sure I'd want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
I'm very happy to read this. This is the type of manual that needs to be given and not the accidental misinformation that is at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this best doc.
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research about this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I thGood ˇV I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs as well as related information ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or anything, web site theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Excellent task..
The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod's. It works well, but isn't as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that's not an issue, but if you're planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod's larger screen and better browser may be important.
Hands down, Apple's app store wins by a mile. It's a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I'm not sure I'd want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he just bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass' favor.
I am always sating hotels and the difference in quality and customer service still amazes me. I have done a lot of travelling through business and pleasure and the difference to me between a nice stay and a great stay is welcoming staff. There is nothing worse than checking into a hotel to find that the staff can't even really be bothered to servce you and show you too your room. I have also stayed at hotels where items of my personal belongings have gone missing after the maids have gone through the place.
Good write-up, Iˇ¦m normal visitor of oneˇ¦s blog, maintain up the nice operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
I can see this write-up. I've been looking everywhere to do this! Thank heavens I discovered them upon Aol. You've made my own evening! Thx once again
Sometimes it Is a pain inside bumm to read simple things what individuals penned and yet this incredible website is absolutely uncomplicated!
This type of sort of article is sure to has several tv audiences. A good report and it is material is really so beneficial. Thank you for telling it!
Really informative blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Cool.
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your website is very cool. I am impressed by the details that youˇ¦ve on this site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched all over the place and just couldn't come across. What a great site.
Excellent blog here! Also your site loads up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Vi ville bara skriva att du är ser bra ut!
Vi tycker om din hemsida, vi går tillbaka hit ofta pga bra inlägg som det här!
Well written! It would be awesome if you followed up on this matter. Many thanks!