Fellows, You didn't see a byline on this article. I think you'll find it was an April Fools joke. Steve Oakland Airport ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Ross" <damiross2@xxxxxxxxx> To: <AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 5:33 PM Subject: Re: TSA wants to sterilize large land areas around airports Another example of the government not living in reality. These idiots are talking about billions of dollars. Don't they realize how much are around an airport is built up? LAX has major companies on its southern side plus hoards of hotels and other business on the eastern side. It has a beach under the runway approach - will they close this too? SJC is in the middle of San Jose HNL has lots of business right next to it HOU is in the middle of a built up area I could go on but you guys get the idea. THE TSA IS NUTS! (I wrote that big in case there's some TSA person monitoring this list - don't want him to miss it!) David R. http://home.attbi.com/~damiross http://www.secure-skies.org/ Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 4:58 PM Subject: [AIRLINE] TSA wants to sterilize large land areas around airports > TSA wants to sterilize large land areas around airports > ======================================================= > Washington, April 1st, 2003 > > > The Transportation Safety Administration released today a comment that > would indicate it will start issuing new regulations that would exclude > anyone from accessing any land areas surrounding airports within a > radius of three to five miles. > > "We are very concerned by the threat of shoulder-launched missiles which > can be used to shoot down an aircraft" said TSA Administrator James Loy. > > "They are very easy to use and very easy to hide," he added. > > "The perimeter of security at airports has to be expanded to a much > wider circle," said Joe Knoller to CBS a few months ago. > > "What we are looking at, is extending the current security perimeter > around airports - which is currently enclosing runways and taxiways only > - by 3 to 5 miles in order to fully protect airplanes during the landing > and initial climb phases". > > Two missiles were fired from the ground at an Israeli jet that took off > from Mombasa, Kenya, last November. > > Created in late 2001, two months after 19 terrorists boarded four planes > destined for tragedy, TSA has improved airport security from curb to > cockpit. Although there are gaps in any system, travelers are infinitely > safer today than they were when TSA was created. > > If the TSA plans go ahead, thousands of building and facilities > surrounding airports will have to move further away. A substantial > number of households will also have to relocate. "Safety is an absolute > necessity for the United States of America, nothing can deter the > American public to request the safety that it deserves". > > One solution is ordering airlines to install missile warning and > countermeasure systems on commercial jets, an official said. "That would > not provide a 100% security barrier though" said Loy. > > Mandating no-man zones around airports would give a better shield. > > Airfields that are located in close proximity to urban centers may have > to be closed down. Major airports affected would include La Guardia at > New York City, Logan at Boston, Reagan at Washington, and San Diego, > California. Meigs airport in downtown Chicago was bulldozed preventively > on March 31st. > > "What we envision is large areas of deserted empty spaces around > airports; that will be much easier to monitor and patrol". To save on > surveillance costs, a noted alternative would be to land-mines these new > artificial deserts. > > "This is Step Number 1 in our Vision. You can expect to hear more about > this process in the coming weeks," concluded Loy.