Okay, let me get this straight. Some Nigerian terrorist attempted to take down a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day using liquid explosives. That much I understand very easily.
But as I start to look at the facts and consequences of this case I start to get confused.
This much we know: The alleged terrorist’s father warned U.S. officials that he thought his son had gone off the reservation and was up to no good. U.S. bureaucrats at the State Department put him on some sort of “watch list” which we have now learned is pretty meaningless.
We know this because the terrorist has a U.S. visa that was not immediately revoked. Rather, the nice people looking out for you and me at the State Department put a note in his file indicating he should be examined with further scrutiny the next time he applies for a new visa.
The accused terrorist, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, proceeds to pay cash for a a one-way ticket to the U.S. and checks no bags.
Buying a ticket this way would of course be a huge red flag to the TSA thug at your local airport if your grandma bought a one-way ticket, paid cash and checked no bags to fly from Charlotte to Kalamazoo. But apparently when some guy flying from Nigeria hands over his one-way ticket paid for in cash with no checked bags, security just shrugs it off as routine. No threat. No worries. Now let's go full-body scan Grandma!
This article appears in Dec 23-29, 2009.