Friday, July 20, 2012

New Avenues for Security Check

The whole world now knows that a heavily armed lone gunman in Aurora, Colorado, went to the opening show of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. And, as soon as the movie started, he opened fire in the dark at the audience. In just a few minutes, he shot more than 70 people. 12 killed and 59 wounded (many of them critically). The newspaper reports say he was a PhD student. Huh!

Within minutes, after a 911 call, 200 police officers surrounded the area and he was captured alive. They are interrogating him. President Obama has ordered the U.S. Flags to fly half mast for 5 days throughout the world, as a mark of respect for the victims.

My question is where security checks would crop up again.

Before 9/11, we can go up to the gate in the airport to see off our relatives/friends. I even remember going inside a plane to talk to my wife for a minute when she was going on vacation to India. Can we go near the departure gate now? No way. So many kinds of security checks. Remove your belt. Remove your gold. Separately place your laptop. Remove your shoes. In some cases, remove your underwear (after the underwear bomber).

We recently visited India. We took train from New Delhi to Chennai. There was a security check at the New Delhi Railway Station. We had to hassle to get our baggage to board our train.

After this movie incident, should we create a thorough security check for the following places? Thorough means like airport or military style and personnel from anti terrorist squad doing their job.

Movie Theaters?

Offices? Government and Private?

Temples? Popular and not so popular.

Schools?

Colleges?

Restaurants?

Bus?

And, Finally

Your own home? Noooo. Not there.

These are only a passive thinking. We will forget this in a day or two. Because this tragedy did not happen in our home.

Anyone want to see this movie, The Dark Knight Rises? Come on down. The ticket is on me. Let us enjoy the movie and dinner after that.

16 comments:

  1. Security checks...well necessary but hassle for 99% of the population...and yes we will remember the incident for a day or two...

    I am still amazed a guy with gun managed to do that in a cinema!! I would like to say.."If your time is over...it can happen anywhere and anyhow!" ...I know that sounds mean and unsympathetic...but is that not the truth???

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  2. Thanks for your comment Aparna. You are correct in saying "it can happen anywhere and anyhow". Even most secured areas are breached.

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  3. Great blog! Very stylish and well diversified. :)
    Welcome to my blog: http://photographyismyexistence.blogspot.com/
    Yours. Patricja [;

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  4. Thanks Patrycja for visiting my blog. Unfortunately, I do not understand Polish language. But will sure appreciate your photos.

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  5. Security checks in India, at most facilities, are just a farce... indifferent security personnel will glance into your handbag for a couple of seconds and brush you away.

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  6. Thanks for your comments Ash. I agree with you. Also, if you are a known person (like an actor or something) they treat you differently.

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  7. The people who got late for the movie would be counting their stars.

    In India, malls etc have a checking process and thats too funny.

    Theatre walaah check for cams etc and strict against even carrying ur laptops (even they r without inbuilt cam) to take inside. No body bothers about the mobile cam though.

    There should be strict safety checks around and yes, ppl like kasabs and this should be hanged publicly without much ado.

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  8. Thanks for your comments Ekta. As you said, security check is a joke. I will write you a real life incident. Check your email.

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  9. Indeed.. I once asked a security guard at a mall after she barely looked into my bag: "What do you look for?"

    She said, "Its the attitude with which you hold up your belongings, not what is inside."

    That means if I can carry a gun with a straight face, I can take it anywhere, even if the metal detector screeches madly.

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  10. Thanks for your comments Anupama. I get a chuckle out of that mall security guard's statement. This mall security guard is a trained psychologist (to identify the attitude) or what?

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  11. I was really shocked to hear about the gunman incident in Colorado - I did watch The Dark Knight Rises...the movie is splendid :) :)

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  12. Thanks for your comments Divya. And, welcome to my blog. You beat me to it. I have not watched this movie yet. May be this coming weekend.

    Divya, please visit this blog as often as you can. Thanks.

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  13. What a horrible tragedy this is!
    I can't believe that something like this actually happened. That too, in such a peaceful place like Colorado.

    Regards,
    Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold

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  14. Thanks for your comments Eric and Dylan. I got to hand it to you both. You peace loving guys are early boomers. When you did the massascre, you were only 18. Thank God you both committed suicide.

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  15. Whenever an incident like this happens, the govt. is back after increasing and improving the security. Instead of that, if they have strict regulations on how many guns to be issued, do the people holding guns really need them? Right from the video games these kids play, everything is full of guns, fights, aliens and all kinds of nonsense.

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  16. Thanks for your comments Found in Folsom. You are right.

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