Bratton: We Can't Prevent Every Act Of Terror. What We Can Do...
Wise words in the WSJ by former LAPD Chief William Bratton -- words consistent with continuing to live in a free and democratic society:
Public-safety officials recognized that any public site, especially those with civic or economic symbolism, could be targeted for a spectacular act of terrorism. As far as we've come since 9/11, however, it is an impossible dream to think we can prevent every act of terror. That is a goal worth striving for, but some plots won't be deterred or foiled. So it was in Boston this week.The primary task for law enforcement after such an attack is to identify the perpetrator(s), apprehend them, and examine whether this attack was a one-off or the first in a series. The longer it takes to identify perpetrators, the higher public fear will remain and the more thinly police resources will be spread. Terrorists often quickly claim credit for their attacks, but in many ways it is more diabolical for them to stay quiet, stoking public uncertainty and dissipating resources.
...The past few days have also vindicated the sort of heightened preparedness emphasized by security and health officials since 9/11. Controlling crowds and directing traffic remain priorities for Boston police on the day of the marathon, but they have also drilled to prepare for much more. The police tent by the finish line has gotten bigger over the years. Whereas it was once equipped mainly to deal with exhausted and dehydrated runners, it now hosts a wide range of personnel ready to activate various contingency plans, including responding to a terrorist attack--how to deploy emergency-medical technicians, where to arrange the ingress and egress of ambulances, etc. Then there was the senior doctor from Massachusetts General Hospital who noted that his team was prepared for the gruesome injuries they encountered because they received training recently from Israeli doctors experienced with terrorist bombings.
Such preparedness is so important because a democratic society simply cannot secure all venues and events at all times. There is no ability to cordon off a whole marathon route and treat miles of urban streets with the degree of security at, say, a baseball stadium. It is impossible to secure everything. There will always be vulnerabilities along a 26-mile route, and police will always have to make decisions about how to deploy their finite resources.
Schneier: "Refuse to be terrorized." (We've done a poor job of this at airports. Let's see if we can prevent ourselves from becoming a society that, in its every arena, gives up its freedoms for "security.")
And ridiculously, from Kathleen Parker: "The challenge isn't only to prevent the next act of terror. It is to avoid becoming accustomed to the horror."
Jay Mohr: It's "gun culture"!
Yoohoo, Jay, perhaps you missed the blanket of news reports on how nail- and ball bearing-loaded pressure cookers were used?
The obvious answer: Ban pot roast!
I still don't think that the appropriate way to handle these things is to treat them as ordinary criminal acts. It's an act of war and should be regarded as such. If the perps are American citizens, bring them up on appropriate charges including sedition, and let the chips fall where they may. If they are foreigners, then military tribunals ending with summary execution if convicted, should be on the table. If we identify that the perps are operating out of a failed-state area like the Somolian coast or Gaza, bombing it flat and bouncing the rubble should also be an option.
Cousin Dave at April 18, 2013 6:30 AM
From a poster on the Bridgeport Topix Forum:
"With rumors that Malloy and Murphy are rushing to ban pressure cookers in Connecticut, stores that sell household goods are bracing for a flood of desperate shoppers that like tender food without having to spend all day cooking it. Malloy was thought to have said “its not like I am taking their right to eat away” and “they will just have to stay home and cook it longer, it’s not like they will have jobs” and “we have to keep the children safe no matter what law abiding people have to give up”. Blumenthal & Schumer are rumored to be preparing a federal pressure cooker ban, Bloomberg a New York city pressure cooker ban, Cuomo a New York State ban, and Feinstein a San Francisco ban. Meanwhile, three CT manufacturers of pressure cookers are considering moving to Texas. Cooking enthusiasts say ”people kill, not pressure cookers” and “and my pressure cooker never hurt anyone”. Obama is searching for people who opened pressure cookers and got burned to parade at his next photo op where press aids say he plans to weep copiously for 0.37 minutes."
Flynne at April 18, 2013 6:56 AM
Yeah, we have to ban those assault pressure cookers! who needs a 6 liter cooker???
I'll note that Bill Ayers has more than passing familiarity with using a pressure cooker as a bomb case...
I R A Darth Aggie at April 18, 2013 7:32 AM
Well, Jay Mohr still makes one of the most hilarious podcasts ever.
Jason S. at April 18, 2013 11:22 AM
"The obvious answer: Ban pot roast!"
Although words "pot roast" and "pressure cooker" can't be found in the Constitution or Bill of Rights, I think many Americans are not yet ready to accept a total ban (sacrificing liberty for a little security and all that)
In the meantime we shouldn't let a crisis go to waste. There are sensible steps that can be taken that will preserve our individual freedom to keep and bear pressure cookers and enjoy pot roast while still providing us with the feelings of safety and security we so desperately need.
For example, universal background checks on pot roast buyers. For each pot roast purchase the buyer and seller would fill out a simple four-page form that is submitted to the FBI, and if the buyer checks out OK he or she can pick up the pot roast in seven to ten days. In fact, the information required for the FBI forms could be encoded on the buyer's supermarket club card and submitted electronically with each application to purchase a pot roast, cutting the waiting time down to three to five days.
It would be a simple matter for state or county law enforcement agencies to issue Pressure Cooker Licenses (PCL's) and register pressure cookers. Also, using existing, off-the-shelf technology, pressure cookers could be modified so that only the registered owner can get the lid off.
So you see, far short of a total ban there are simple solutions that give us the feelings of safety and security we crave without requiring us to give up any of the privileges the government still allows.
Ken R at April 18, 2013 12:48 PM
In solidarity with Ken R, might I suggest that it would be best if anyone who currently owns a pressure cooker be required to purchase a secure pressure cooker storage safe,which can be inspected by law enforcement to make sure it complies with home storage guidelines.
All pressure cookers will need to be equipped with handle locks, and of course a big worry will be the entire secondary market of second hand stores such as Goodwill and Garage sales where the transfer of these dangerous devices is totally unregulated.
I am sure there will be a lot of interest in closing these secondary sale loopholes.
Isab at April 19, 2013 3:58 AM
"For example, universal background checks on pot roast buyers. For each pot roast purchase the buyer and seller would fill out a simple four-page form that is submitted to the FBI, and if the buyer checks out OK he or she can pick up the pot roast in seven to ten days. "
Not sufficient. Manufacturers of pot roast must be required to add taggants to every roast. This way, from a sample, the FBI can trace every roast back to its purchaser. People who buy roasts will finally be held personally responsible for the proper use and disposition of the roasts that they buy. Authorities assure us that the taggants, in the form of plastic chips intermixed with the roast, will be absolutely unnoticable and will have no effect on normal, lawful consumption of the roast.
Cousin Dave at April 19, 2013 12:43 PM
Background checks, PCL's, pressure cooker registration, government certified pressure cooker storage safes, pressure cooker handle locks, taggants added to pot roasts...
By working together and pooling our ideas like this we can find ways to relieve the irrational anxiety caused by the threat of terrorism by right wing extremists with unregulated access to pressure cookers and pot roast. We can have the warm feelings of security running up our legs that we long so much for.
Ken R at April 19, 2013 9:58 PM
Leave a comment