Posted by Jason on September 19, 2001 at 13:13:52:
In Reply to: Re: RE: what exactly would be flagged? posted by Capt-Ray on September 17, 2001 at 21:22:57:
Ray - obviously it's out of your hands and as a passenger I always go along with the captain of the boat. But I'm still going to think it's ridiculous.
If the solution to the problem is to act like Soviet Russia, then we've really blown it. We see all sorts of overreactions that have little consistency.
The Golden Gate Bridge is closed off to pedestrians and bicyclists. We're talking about one of the most famous walks in the world. I can't even run under the south end as part of my running trail through the Presidio. And yet anyone can still drive a fully loaded van on that bridge or the Bay Bridge. If someone wants to plant a bomb, that's how they'll do it. It's not going to be something hiding in my running shorts.
Hassling boat operations in San Pedro makes just as little sense. Threatening people with felonies for forgetting their ID is a tragically unfunny joke. Esp when they can bring aboard a 3500psi tank filled with 40% (or 100%) o2.
Security through gross inconvenience is not security. Nothing prevents me from borrowing someone else's id. Who really looks like their photo on their driver's license anyhow?