Some Wild Changes in Name of "Security" 
AP 1oct01  

WASHINGTON -- Should airline pilots be licensed to kill? Should truck drivers need special checks to transport nail polish remover?

From major changes to minor inconveniences, U.S. authorities have introduced or are contemplating a breathtaking array of measures to stem the threat of terror after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Acceptance of the need for changes is widespread, but some say some of the proposals are unwieldy and costly, and that others could restrict liberties.

Here are some pros and cons.

AIR TRAVEL:

• Keep the door shut.
  The Bush administration has set aside $500 million to modify planes; topping the list is securing the cockpit door throughout the flight.
  
  Pro: Some of the solutions _ including deadbolt locks _ would make it virtually impossible for hijackers to breach the cockpit.
  
  Con: Should the cabin depressurize, the crew would need to open the door quickly to equalize pressure throughout the aircraft. Otherwise, the plane could suffer structural damage.
  
  
• Shoot the hijacker.
  According to the Bush plan, many more flights would be manned by armed air marshals, who before Sept. 11 were restricted to selected international flights.
  
  Pro: Plainclothes security aboard Israel's El Al airline have helped keep the carrier hijack-free since the early 1970s, when armed security people thwarted at least one takeover attempt in mid-flight.
  
  Con: Random bullets could damage the hull and depressurize the cabin, damage a fuel line or spark a fire. (One proposal: using ``frangible'' ammunition, that disintegrates upon hitting an object harder than itself but penetrates softer substances.) Also, one hijacker could stage an attack to expose security personnel, allowing other hijackers to overwhelm the marshals and get their guns.
  
  
• Arm the pilot.
  Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., has introduced legislation to arm pilots. Some pilots are willing to consider it, although Duane Woerth of the Air Line Pilots Association said he would prefer less lethal stun-guns.
  
  Pro: The pilot has a last resort.
  
  Con: Could distract pilots from using existing skills _ lowering cabin pressure, taking sharp turns _ to destabilize hijackers. Also, the risk of crossfire increases with armed pilots at one end of the plane and armed marshals at the other.

AIRPORT SECURITY:

• Secure the perimeter.
  President Bush has proposed that the federal government supervise passenger and baggage security at the nation's 420 commercial airports.
  
  Pro: Would provide a uniform standard of security at airports and replace outmoded X-ray machines with equipment that discerns not just metals, but plastics and powders.
  
  Con: The changes could cost billions of dollars. New ``smart'' perimeter fences feature costly electronic sensors _ and many U.S. airports lack any fences. Cash-strapped cities want more specifics on funding. Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn has asked Bush for low-interest loans and grants.
  
  
• Man the tower.
  The administration is considering technology that would allow air traffic controllers to take over the control of an aircraft in an emergency.
  
  Pro: Would wrest the plane out of the hijackers' control.
  
  Con: Some experts worry that trained terrorists could secure the control tower and steer a plane astray.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS:

• On the road again.
  The Transportation Department is asking the industry to broaden its background checks on drivers, and is considering government checks on truckers who transport hazardous materials.
  
  Pro: Background checks would weed out drivers with criminal convictions and allow federal authorities to check if applicants had links to terror groups.
  
  Con: Mike Russell of the American Trucking Associations says singling out hazardous materials creates a problem of definition.
  
  ``Hazardous materials can include everything from nuclear waste to nail polish remover,'' he says. Restricting the transport of commonplace materials to a smaller pool of approved drivers could create a huge backlog.

CIVIL LIBERTIES:

• Listening and reading in.
  Attorney General John Ashcroft is asking Congress to expand warrantless telephone taps to allow authorities to follow a suspect from phone to phone. He also wants to add e-mail addresses and Web sites to the existing power to obtain a record of a suspect's phone calls without a warrant.

Pro: The terrorists probably used a variety of phones to keep in touch, and apparently communicated with overseas handlers through e-mail. Changes in legislation would make it easier to track suspects who may be planning another attack.

Con: American Civil Liberties Union president Nadine Strossen says that obtaining information from any phone the suspect ``may use'' opens a suspect's colleagues and acquaintances to government surveillance, and violates the Fourth Amendment ban on sweeping searches.

Strossen says allowing authorities to obtain e-mail addresses and Web sites without warrants violates freedoms of speech and assembly. The government could find out what a suspect reads and learns what groups he belongs to.