World famous English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and unrelenting critic of religion and the religious, Richard Dawkins, has turned his anger on airport security rules after he had a jar of honey confiscated…..[url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bin-laden-has-won-they-confiscated-my-honey-outspoken-academic-richard-dawkins-in-airline-security-twitter-row-over-jar-of-honey-8919618.html]cont[/url]
But he is right.. We have fundamentally changed our way of living, wasted a huge amount of resource and increased the risk of terrorism thanks to Bin Laden and the US response to his attacks.
The 9/11 attacks were an atrocity, and it is difficult to imagine any objective the achievement of which would have justified them.
But if it was just to do with making sure Dawkins couldn’t transport jars of honey in his cabin baggage that makes them even more deranged. The mind boggles.
The western governments have responded disproportionately (there are many more pressing issues that the world faces) – an example of this disproportionate response is that we now follow ridiculous rules at airport security.
Fair enough, aspects of flying, etc, can be a pain, and if I’d have been in his position I’d have had a whinge about it, but tweeting it just made him look like a sanctimonious git. You may be an intelligent bloke Dawkins, but FFS get some perspective. 🙄
To be fair – if Bin Laden has been a bit clearer about his objective in the first place- to deny proselytising born-again atheists something sticky and sweet to spread on their toast – this hole business sordid business would have been done and dusted years ago.
Security theatre is right – it’s all about being seen to be doing something rather than being effective. He’s absolutely right that it’s ridiculous and disproportionate but I don’t think he’s done himself any favours due to the petty nature of his “incident”.
But he is right.. We have fundamentally changed our way of living, wasted a huge amount of resource and increased the risk of terrorism thanks to Bin Laden and the US response to his attacks.
Indeed, and it’s particularly grating because pre the Twin Towers attacks, the US was seen as the week link airport security wise worldwide, and absolutely refused to change their ways to bring themselves inline with international standards. They didn’t want their passengers inconvenienced.
I’m not sure that’s correct. The 11/9 attacks were merely what was threatened many years previously if the US didn’t stop melding in the Middle East illegally. The loss of TWA800 was originally thought to be the promised attack, until it transpired that it was merely an accident. As I’ve said (countless times before) one of the TWA800 documentaries that was on actually has the warning from Bin Laden in it. The TWA800 accident was in 1996, so obviously the warning pre-dated this.
Security theatre is right – it’s all about being seen to be doing something rather than being effective. He’s absolutely right that it’s ridiculous and disproportionate but I don’t think he’s done himself any favours due to the petty nature of his “incident”.
Surely that was the whole point, though? When something as small and insignificant as a pot of honey is seen as a threat you know that the terrorists have won?