And the Boston overreaction at events begins... (Page 2)

Where do you draw the line?  Is it when DHS puts body scan machines at any and all public venues, or is it when they install them in the mall? Or is it the day the police come knocking to perform a random search of you home under the guise if you have nothing to hide let us in?

“I think the tighter we get on aviation, we have to also be thinking now about going on to mass transit or to trains or maritime. So, what do we need to be doing to strengthen our protections there?” said Napolitano

How much are you willing to sacrifice to feel safe?

For me this is a slippery slope that nets very little in terms of freedoms lost versus really being safe.

I hope that they make everybody take off their shoes before entering/exiting transition... someone could have a shoe bomb.

OMG, someone could fill their seat tube with explosives, run wires disguised as Di2 cables to a bento box that has a cell phone.  They need to stop allowing bikes at triathlons.

If someone blows up a P5 it's truly a tragedy

Does a wetsuit count as a container? Because I'm sure I've put more than 3oz of fluid in there before a race.

That's definitely going to impact their run, fo' sho'!

I'm ok with the bolded.  No clothes in transition period.  ;-)

In reality life itself comes with an acceptable level of risk. I see the need to balance public safety with liberty, but the reality is there is always risk. Someone absolutely determined to harm another without regard for their own life will find a way.

I'm not sure how we prevent another act of terror like in Boston. Screen every person along a 26.2 mile route? Impossible. Profiling? Ineffective and of questionable legality. CISPA/SOPA/PIPA? Truly Big Brother is watching.

By and large, law enforcement has done a pretty remarkable job keeping us safe. Sadly these types of attacks have always happened, but remain rare. I don't see how giving up our freedoms makes us any safer.

You do not have a constitutional right to fly, participate in a triathlon, shop at a mall, or attend a sporting event.  If you do not like the policies of the TSA, RD, mall owner, or sports venue regarding their requirements for entry in to their facility, then you may choose to drive, enter a different race, shop at Walmart, or watch the game on your tv.  You do have a constitutional right to not have you home randomly searched.  You do have a constitutional right to walk to work without being randomly stopped and searched.  There is your line.

That's not to say that I agree with or think the overreactions are in any way effective.  More often than not I believe they are nothing more than an attempt to cover your azz legally.  Arriving two hours early for a flight and taking your shoes off is a headache and an inconvenience, but it is not a loss of freedom.

No, because they don't hide anything.

When terrorist plot, I highly doubt they're plotting about "how to make things just a little less convenient for those stupid Americans.........."

What if they go ahead and declare you an Enemy Combatant (as some were advocating for the suspects in this bombing)? Then they can indefinitely detain you and never have to prove that you were involved in anything. Surely that allows them to search you/your property for whatever reason as well. 

Probably does not mater what war its for either.  War on terror, War on Drugs, War on Crime, War on Christmas, or battle of the network stars .

I removed some of the quotes to make the post more readable. 

So in your eyes the constitution defines the meaning of freedom?  Does that mean your right to bear arms means any type of arms?  In the extreme sense, do you have the right to own a missile? After all it is a type of arms. 

I never viewed my freedom being defined by the constitution. Rather I viewed the constitution as the rules our government must follow to ensure they dont over step their bounds. 

For me I draw the line when the government directs how a venue such as a game should be secured.  If a stadium owner determines they want to add metal detectors and force patrons to pass through them, so be it.  After all it is their stadium.   

I know in this case it is the race director that is reacting and making the change.  Obviously, there are much more effective tactics to reduce the risk at this type of event. 

IMHO, that would be a violation of his sixth amendment rights.  As despicable a man as the living bomber appears to be, he deserves his day in court.  The Patriot Act and I disagree on many things.

Silly me, I thought they just hated us and wanted us to die.  

I didn't realize that what they really wanted was just to make us wait in line an extra 20 minutes at TSA and make triathlon less convenient with no bag in transition rules.

Which again, those measures do nothing. Anyone that wants to, is still going to be able to inflict harm upon others. Look at last week. There was an incredible amount of security there. Reports have said there were bomb sniffing dogs, metal detectors and the obvious police presence (seen within 100 feet of the bombing itself) and what did this do? Absolutely nothing. They didn't stop it, they didn't apprehend the individuals, or anything.

So we are being increasingly scrutinized in our daily lives for what? 

If they hated you and wanted you to die there are a lot more efficient ways of killing more people than the Boston example.  The want to undermine your way of life, get in your head, make you worry, cause stress and generally terrorise.

When terrorists plot they calculate the attention it will receive, the reaction it will cause, the terror it will put in the hearts of those affected and the spoke it puts in the wheels of society.

I've lived in the direct line of terrorists all my life.  Whether it be the IRA or this bunch of idiots - they've made me angry and they've made me upset but they'll never terrorise me.  I love the way we celebrate the heroic stories and highlight the good that comes from these incidents - we need to make more of that.  What we don't need to do is change our way of life in ways that aren't sensible.

Clear bags in a triathlon transition doesn't even address the risk they're responding too. Stupid, thoughtless, reaction that shows weakness.

Bad news about the airport situation too - do you know those additional queues caused by the security checks where people are all packed in close proximity while they wait to get their bags checked?  Think about that for a second - they've actually made the risk worse with their response.  Dimwitted.

That's absurd.  I was thinking about getting new pressure cooker.  Good thing I don't s hops at W-S anyway.  Overpriced.

People should stop selling backpacks too, you know, out of respect.

Hey, I guess if you want to hurt your own business for some kind of statement - it's America, go right ahead.  Bed Bath and Beyond, here I come to spend my money.