What you are expecting is simply unrealistic? You expect someone to look at these people this close and then be put through some multi-million dollar screening equipment that may or may not find a bomb in a foreign country like Nigeria? Will never happen.

The problem is foreign airports. It is unclear to me that he even went through security again in Amsterdam. It may have been a straight connecting flight from Nigeria. So you expect this level of security at the Nigerian airport? For a slight to Amersterdam. Impossible. And there is likely no way the U.S. government will be able to enforce this level of security and force the acquisition of millions of dollars of new scanning equipment in countries like Nigeria or even second and third tier airports in Europe.

One other element that played into this. If you have ever been to Nigeria you would know there is a huge class structure in society. The people that run security at their airports are generally in the lower class. This bomber was in the upper class. It would have been very doubtful that these security people would have intensely questioned this upper classs guy or pulled him over for some special screening.

Thank you for going on CNN and at least shedding light to the manly Obots who watch.  It is refreshing to hear a sane point of view.

I’m still curious why we aren’t hearing about the 2 lawyers on the plane that saw him arrive at check point and said he didn’t have a passport and a well dressed man who was supposedly assisting him was playing on known sympthies by claiming he was from Sudan and didn’t have a passport “and that he knows they have been allowed to board under these conditions before”.  They sent them to their boss, but obviously they were then allowed on and it surely wasn’t because he miraculously found a passport.

It seems they worked hard to ignore all realities.

@Bronwyn I have attempted to email you at the email linked to your byline, but each time it iswas returned.

I first heard the story on BBC World News this morning. Once they mentioned that some of those killed were CIA Contractors, my first thoughts were for you and your associates at B.E.R.G.

I am thnakful you are here stateside, and pray that you will continue to get FACTS and Common Sense out via media, who it seems, is finally recognizing what a valuabke resource you and yours are to the security of this country and its citizens.

Just a simple heartfelt Thank You for all you do to keep things grounded in solid reality and pragmatizm.

What are the orders from the top?

Like I said and is becoming clear.  Obama wants to be nice to the Muslim community and thought his presence would by him security.  Most of us in the real world knew this to not be so and that he would put us in a dangerous place.

Too many warning signs on too many inciidents.  Not acting on the informaiton they do have.  That seems to be the problem.

It reminds me of the French assult on Fort Huron…trench warfare, throwing body after body at the line, slowly day by day, digging trenches and bring the cannon fire ever closer. The repeated attempts at getting just one of these shitheads on board an inbound flight indicates that a war of attrition is afoot against the front line security apparatus and the odds are not in the “British’s” favor, or ours.