CYA Security is a great article by Bruce Schneier in the current Crypt-o-Gram. I am pretty much whipped by the security theatre I now endure every time I go through an airport. How is it possible that the ninnies at DHS/TSA think we can be on “High” terror alert for 5 1/2 solid years?! From the article:
Since 9/11, we’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars defending ourselves from terrorist attacks. Stories about the ineffectiveness of many of these security measures are common, but less so are discussions of *why* they are so ineffective. In short: much of our country’s counterterrorism security spending is not designed to protect us from the terrorists, but instead to protect our public officials from criticism when another attack occurs. [emphasis mine]
And this:
And finally, we’re seeing CYA security on the national level, from our politicians. We might be better off as a nation funding intelligence gathering and Arabic translators, but it’s a better re-election strategy to fund something visible but ineffective, like a national ID card or a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Exactly!
