December 8, 2005 - Did the Miami Air Marshall over react? Should they have been more aware of the passenger’s mental condition? Was there a basis for them to believe that lethal force was necessary to protect themselves or others? It is for too early for anyone to make any definitive answer to the many questions raised by the killing of an apparently innocent leaving an airplane at Miami International Airport. At this point we must consider the air marshals innocent of wrong doing and that their shooting was, in the circumstance, justified.

But, even though the killing of this particular person may have been entirely blameless it does focus a spotlight on a defective and dysfunctional system of airport security. The confrontation itself demonstrates that the system of airport security is so unreliable that the air marshals cannot rely on its efficacy. The passenger was shot while he was leaving the plane. When he reached into the backpack he carried the air marshals had to consider whether he was reaching for a weapon or, worse a remote trigger to explode a bomb that he had left on the aircraft. That being so then they acted properly.

But they acted AFTER the passenger had cleared the boarding security process to which every law-abiding member of the traveling public is subjected. You arrive at the gate at least two hours before flight time to give the TAA time to check our credentials; our persons; and our luggage for bombs and other weapons. We take our shoes off and some of us are subjected to personal searches. The race is on to equip departure gates with a device to take nude photos of us through our clothes.

Despite all of that the air marshal corps cannot afford to rely on the passenger security system to be effective. Despite the imposition of delay, embarrassment, and inconvenience on the traveling public; despite the massive infusion of tax dollars; despite 4 years of experience, training, and development the system is so unreliable that the air marshals had to kill a trouble innocent lest a bomb had been successfully smuggle past the check points.

The members of the 911 Commission just issued their assessment of America’s security against terrorist attack. They found that the US has failed the test. A Miami man paid the price for that failure. It was an over reaction as a result of failure here – not in Baghdad. Who is ultimately responsible for Homeland Security? That is where the Buck rolls to a stop.