Yesterday How to Transcend Post-9/11 Homeland Insecurity landed in my in box. Unfortunately the editors as Forbes used the old color coded warning graphic (is is colorful) as part of the article. I'm thinking that the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) will have the same curse as EAS when it comes to being referred to as EBS.
I'm guessing that the line of reasoning from the author comes from more of a libertarian viewpoint. Get government out of the way and let free enterprise and the private sector handle the issue of security. Which reminds me of a quote that goes something like, "Security done on a budget will always fail." Meaning, if you are looking to save money and minimize overhead, security is like safety, it can quickly end up in the backseat of any organization focused on other "business" priorities.
The author Wayne Crews does make some great preparedness points. There are plenty of evacuation plans for cities now. Most contemplate vehicle evacuation, but by foot is something that should be considered. Not only in a terrorist attack, but also for earthquakes when you might not be able to drive very far before encountering a collapsed bridge.
The knee-jerk take over of airport security is an appropriate description. The current status of airport security is high drama indeed. I wonder what it will be like at airports in the USA after some suicide bomber "lights the torch" while standing in line at a security checkpoint. In the military we'd be standing 3-5 meters apart so "one round" doesn't take out too many people.
On the ten year anniversary of 9/11 I was driving up to Seattle at 4AM for an early morning television show covering the ceremonies marking the day. On the radio they had an interview with a scientist panning the work that has been done by DHS Science and Technology. What he had to say about the poor return on investment rings true to me. Perhaps they are on a better course today, but early on it was a lot of motion that lead to commotion and little else. Mr. Crews also comments on their effectiveness in working with the private sector.
We are a complex society indeed. The solutions to complex problems are sometimes complex in themselves. The best we can do as individuals is to take charge of our own destiny when it comes to disasters and ensure we are being proactive which is in our own best interest. It sounds libertarian, but it is true.
