Re:The 'Israelification' of airports: High security, little ...
by julius_geezer on Thursday December 31, 2009 @06:36PM
(#1025197)
I don't think the chip on the shoulder exists to the extent that it may once have, partly because those with reservations about US foreign policy have discovered that it is counterproductive to take it out on PFCs. There are undoubtedly a bunch of folks out there with PTSD, and reflexes learned in Baghdad may be honed a little keen for Kansas City.
Re:The 'Israelification' of airports: High security, little ...
by electromagnetic on Thursday December 31, 2009 @07:00PM
(#1025228)
It must be noted that not all soldiers are in Iraq or Afghanistan, the majority are still based in 'peaceful' areas. Perhaps the soldiers from Baghdad might be tightly wound for airport security, but there's still a large pool of highly trained soldiers who have never stepped into an active war zone.
However, from what I was aware the FBI, CIA and several federal agencies in the US tend to get 'first pick' when it came to the ex-military talent. So I wouldn't know if this pool of soldiers is already being tapped to the max.
Re:The 'Israelification' of airports: High security, little ...
by philwelch on Thursday December 31, 2009 @09:19PM
(#1025359)
"Ex-"? If the CIA or FBI want someone who's even presently serving, they can get them. Of course, that happens most frequently when your life story begins with something like "born to Christian missionaries living in China".
The problem here could be that -- at least in the US -- a lot of military personnel come out of the military with some sort of chip on their shoulder towards the rest of society. Though I could just be exaggerating the issue.
If the new security personnel act like 'bullies with a badge' rather than trained professionals, it still might leave air travel as an unpleasant experience.