Essay - Airport Security Policies I. Introduction Few Events in Life Have...

AIRPORT SECURITY POLICIES

*****. INTRODUCTION

***** events in life have the potential to impact each and every single member of society, whether it is on a macro (indirect) or micro (direct) level. Even fewer such events actually do impact every ***** citizen. The Columbine school shootings, the Kent State university *****, the Oklahoma city bombings, Pearl Harbor, ***** Vietnam are just a few ***** the ***** which ********** forever embedded into the psyche of millions ***** Americans. On September 11, 2001, two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center buildings in New York, another airplane crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth airplane ***** into a field in Pennsylvania. In addition to ***** sheer magnitude of these airplane crashes, what makes these crashes notable is the fact that all four *****s were hijacked by suspected terrorists. As a result ***** *****se horrific terrorist **********, thousands of *****dividuals lost their lives in an instant, countless others were left to stand by helplessly, to learn to rebuild their lives without ***** loved ones.

***** paper analyzes and examines airport security policies before and after the September *****, 2001 terrorist attacks. In Part II, the airport ***** policies in place dur*****g the Clinton administration and ***** the September 11, ***** terrorist ***** are discussed. ***** III examines the airport security policies implemented by the Bush administration ***** the September *****, 2001 terrorist attacks. In Part IV, the positions of Congress and various interest groups regarding ***** security policies ***** outlined. Finally, this paper concludes with recommendations for developing ***** implementing airport security policies ***** if properly developed and implemented, will prevent events such as the September 11, ***** terrorist attacks from occurring.

*****. AIRPORT SECURITY POLICIES DURING THE CLINTON

ADMINISTRATION

In addition to ***** countless number of innocent lives that perished in the September *****, 2001 terrorist attacks, ***** will be remembered is ***** lax ***** security polices that existed prior ***** the September 11, 2001 ***** attacks. The following quote from Senator Max Cleland (D-Georgia) provides ***** best illustration ***** airport ***** policies be*****e the September *****, 2001 terrorist attacks:

What happened is we dumbed *****wn the security system, because an airline is going to want to cut cost, specifically when we have a downturn in the economy *****nd they are fighting for their *****... So, if you have the airlines responsible for $1.8 billion worth of security at 700 checkpoints in America, *****'re dumb*****g down the system... They go to the low bidder on a contr*****ct... Then, the contractor is *****ing to go to the lowest cost person out there -- minimum wage people ***** so they can make a little money."

According to the General Accounting Office, in the year 2000 the start*****g salary for security screeners at 14 of the n*****ion's 18 largest airports was $6.00 or less, a p*****rticularly unimpressive figure given ***** the federal minimum ***** is $5.15 per hour. In summary, prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, while airlines ***** ***** for airport security,