Bush’s plan balances safety with change

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No matter how many security upgrades airports and airlines
undergo in the coming months, America’s trust and confidence
in air travel will not be restored any time soon. But the $500
million airport security plan President George W. Bush announced
yesterday is a step in the right direction.

Having the federal government oversee all airport security
operations, as Bush proposed, will not only improve the safety of
passengers, but will also begin restoring confidence in the
airlines. Bush also needs to ensure that private airport employees
are well-trained and well-paid.

Currently, employees who are underpaid and receive minimal
training have little incentive to consider their job important or
to carry it out with integrity. Changing the nature of airport
security must start with changing the employees’ attitude
toward it ““ which should be a priority for Bush’s
federal overseers.

Adding armed federal air marshals aboard commercial airplanes
““ also a part of Bush’s plan, though a bit unnerving to
some airline passengers ““ is a necessary security measure
that must take place. Had these marshals been aboard the flights of
the Sept. 11 attacks, the plane hijacking may have been prevented.
Isolating pilots and their crew by fortifying cockpit doors to deny
cabin access during flights should also take place as soon as
possible.

In making this decision, Bush waded through murky political
waters to make a decision that balanced the need for safety while
tempering the urge for drastic and irrational change brought on by
the recent attacks.

He correctly denied pilots the right to carry fire arms,
regardless of the protest from many pilot associations. Pilots
aren’t trained to handle firearms and, with the support of
federal air marshals on board, this shouldn’t be a priority.
He also shirked the costly requests to make existing airport
security personal into federal employees despite the ranglings of
various members of Congress.

Despite the positive aspects of his plan, Bush must keep in mind
that effective change needs to start with problems in the airline
industry’s infrastructure. All pilots, ground crews and
flight attendants, not just the passengers, need to be scrutinized
under a more watchful eye.

But airlines must make certain that the tightened security
measures are not used as justification to impede on people’s
civil rights. Racial profiling and the abuse of a passenger’s
civil liberties should never be tolerated, even in times of crisis.
Recently, many Arab Americans have been escorted off planes because
passengers feel uncomfortable with their presence. Bush needs to
ensure the tense environment that will result from his proposed
security measures doesn’t exacerbate the problem. That would
simply allow ourselves to fall into the hands of the
terrorists.