Hi, I heard your interview, Spencer. I’m disappointed that all the focus was on the civil liberties implications of expanding the no-fly list. In this case, we had a respectable, well-educated son of a prominent Nigerian banker, whose father reported fears that the son had become a dangerous radical, and we ask whether the father’s fears should be enough to ban the guy from flying. But what if the father hadn’t contacted the embassy? There would be no indication that this person was in any way a danger. For this reason, no no-fly list could really “work” if “work” means that bad guys can’t fly.

Forget the no-fly list; the issue is that someone was able to bring 80 grams of high explosive on the plane. It would seem that dogs could sniff that stuff out, and if the public insists on better security, that would seem to work better and have fewer civil liberties implications.

Good points and very valid concerns.

Wow, and you reference Fanon in, like, the first sentence.

Not wonky at all — the very best explanation of the argument America needs to have about how secure we want out no-fly list to be. Well done.

Spencer, I posted high praise to you in a previous comment thread for your frank characterization of Senator Jim DeMint, who has assumed the Tom DeLay mantle of Worst Politician Ever. If there is anything that is strangling this country, it is the unwillingness to call out incompetent opportunists like that.

If the segment had been longer–and by the way I enjoyed it a lot–perhaps another point to jump on would have been how the gov’s 1st response on the security side was to recommend ways to keep bombers from setting off bombs they’ve already brought on board the plane (like no blankets allowed on laps during the last hour of flights or no going to the bathroom) as if these things even vaguely address anything. It’s just more misdirection to hopefully distract us from the fact that rules already in place (like, duh, no explosives, thanks) did nothing to stop this guy and the only thing that did stop him was his own gross incompetence. Sure, but if we just prohibit passengers from standing up during the last hour of flight they won’t be able to set off their bombs. You don’t have to know jack about security to know that’s crap. After the shoe bomber they banned lighters and matches, after another pathetically failed attempt at nothing they banned water coming through security checks. Both are useless rules, the first one EASILY foiled, just ask any smoker, but they aren’t ever going away. Civil liberties aren’t going to be given back once they’re taken away…

Thanks for your fine work!