[BartSimpson]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Bugger off yank!

We still had C130's and they count as air transport for smuggling drugs.

I never expected you to defend the CF's capacity to smuggle drugs, but if you insist...

[SprCForr]

Holy crap! Wouldn't that be a significant volume of cocaine?

[EyeBrock]

SprCForr SprCForr:

Holy crap! Wouldn't that be a significant volume of cocaine?

Yea, she obviously got greedy!

[EyeBrock]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Bugger off yank!

We still had C130's and they count as air transport for smuggling drugs.

I never expected you to defend the CF's capacity to smuggle drugs, but if you insist...

Air Command have hidden talents!

When I was at Lyneham the RAF Police uncovered a big duty-free smuggling ring with C130 crews and the Fire-fighters. It was a big operation running into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

[andyt]

SprCForr SprCForr:

Holy crap! Wouldn't that be a significant volume of cocaine?

Wrong continent there, bro.

But that was the point I was trying to make. A few soldiers bringing back a few ounces of heroin stuffed up their asses isn't going to make any impact. If some smarty pants has found a way to move significant tonnage, that's a different matter.

Wasn't it American Ganster where the guy used his contacts in Asia to smuggle drugs back to the states in coffins of US soldiers? And wasn't there some factual basis to that?

[EyeBrock]

andyt andyt:

SprCForr SprCForr:

Holy crap! Wouldn't that be a significant volume of cocaine?

Wrong continent there, bro.

But that was the point I was trying to make. A few soldiers bringing back a few ounces of heroin stuffed up their asses isn't going to make any impact. If some smarty pants has found a way to move significant tonnage, that's a different matter.

Wasn't it American Ganster where the guy used his contacts in Asia to smuggle drugs back to the states in coffins of US soldiers? And wasn't there some factual basis to that?

Yep, it was quite the trade.

Having worked AT/loggies etc, there are always people trying to get stuff back to civilisation that they shouldn't. AT security has always been tight even prior to the 911 silliness.

Military logistics is a pretty well oiled machine and it's very flexible. The training and skills learned can be applied in many ways.

Sending naughty things air freight or hidden in tracked vehicles, drop tanks, aircraft engines etc has always been something to keep an eye on.

It's obvious that AT security at KAF is now being tightened up but I'm sure it's been pretty well managed up to now. After all, it's no secret that opium grows in Afghanistan.

The other un-reported wrinkle in this is the amount of civvy contractors that are now involved in military AT ops. It has been the trend since the 1990’s to civilianise, as in contract out, many functions previously carried out by military personnel.

The result is that Canadian companies like Serco now handle a lot of the aircraft landing at KAF that would have been turned around by military teams in the past.
Serco hires ex-RAF and CF guys as team leaders and the actual work is done by the usual third-world crowd of Pilipinos, South Americans, Indians etc. Plenty of temptation for guys earning low wages for hard work to supplement their income.

[andyt]

Oh well, in Canada the Hell's Angels run the baggage handlers in civilian airports, or at least they do in Vancouver. Same principle.

[EyeBrock]

Yep, same at YYZ for security and baggage handling.

A lot of Pakistanis who are earning just above minimum wage.

They don't even need to be citizens, but we supposedly entrust our civvy AT security to people from the country where most of the taliban come from, get support from and live when they are not trying to kill our guys.

I see some potential risk there. We should have a well paid and well trained Federal security agency in these areas like the Yank TSA. It would be great spot for retired military guys.

[andyt]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Yep, same at YYZ for security and baggage handling.

A lot of Pakistanis who are earning just above minimum wage.

They don't even need to be citizens, but we supposedly entrust our civvy AT security to people from the country where most of the taliban come from, get support from and live when they are not trying to kill our guys.

Actually none of that is as scary (well it could be) as a country where corruption is just the normal way of doing business.

[EyeBrock]

andyt andyt:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Yep, same at YYZ for security and baggage handling.

A lot of Pakistanis who are earning just above minimum wage.

They don't even need to be citizens, but we supposedly entrust our civvy AT security to people from the country where most of the taliban come from, get support from and live when they are not trying to kill our guys.

Actually none of that is as scary (well it could be) as a country where corruption is just the normal way of doing business.

But you see what I mean? All this crap at the airports these days isn't making us any safer.

It's just annoying the shit out of everyone then we hire people from the country in the world where most of the terrorists in Afghanistan come from, to do our security for just above minimum wage.

It just seals the whole deal for me. Incompetence rules in the airports. The government need a good kick up the arse for letting things get this way.

[andyt]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

andyt andyt:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Yep, same at YYZ for security and baggage handling.

A lot of Pakistanis who are earning just above minimum wage.

They don't even need to be citizens, but we supposedly entrust our civvy AT security to people from the country where most of the taliban come from, get support from and live when they are not trying to kill our guys.

Actually none of that is as scary (well it could be) as a country where corruption is just the normal way of doing business.

But you see what I mean? All this crap at the airports these days isn't making us any safer.

It's just annoying the shit out of everyone then we hire people from the country in the world where most of the terrorists in Afghanistan come from, to do our security for just above minimum wage.

It just seals the whole deal for me. Incompetence rules in the airports. The government need a good kick up the arse for letting things get this way.

But that's the capitalist system at work. Just another permutation of one of my favorite quotes: "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we hang them."

[BartSimpson]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

We should have a well paid and well trained Federal security agency in these areas like the Yank TSA.

Except that the TSA has ended up being a liberal jobs program with jobs being awarded by quota to less-than-stellar individuals. In one of those scandals that the media never seemed to care about there was a little fracas last year when it came up that some 50 TSA agents were on the agencies 'No Fly' list for some very valid reasons.

The problem with the TSA is that it is a security guard firm with police powers. What needs to happen here is for the TSA to be raised to a professional law enforcement organisation that requires officers to meet Federal standards for peace officers.

[BartSimpson]

andyt andyt:

But that's the capitalist system at work. Just another permutation of one of my favorite quotes: "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we hang them."

Unfortunately, the communists ran out of money to buy the rope.

[andyt]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

andyt andyt:

But that's the capitalist system at work. Just another permutation of one of my favorite quotes: "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we hang them."

Unfortunately, the communists ran out of money to buy the rope.

Fortunately.

The Jihadists won't since we keep giving them all that oil money and give our security over to the lowest bidder. We're just selling the rope to the next nogooders in line, and if nothing else, will hang ourselves with our own rope.

[EyeBrock]

I agree andy. Low balling security makes it meaningless. It's just a waste of money with security 'officers' that can barely speak English and from a country with strong links to the Jihad.

It's pretty obvious to me that this policy poses significant risk, why can't the Feds see that?