"The System DID Work" TSA System Relies on Passengers as Part of Their Security Safeguards

On its website, the TSA talks about the 20 layers of Security it has put in place to protect us from being blown from the sky by a guy with a bomb in his briefs:

We use layers of security to ensure the security of the traveling public and the Nation's transportation system. Because of their visibility to the public, we are most associated with the airport checkpoints that our Transportation Security Officers operate. These checkpoints, however, constitute only one security layer of the many in place to protect aviation. Others include intelligence gathering and analysis, checking passenger manifests against watch lists, random canine team searches at airports, federal air marshals, federal flight deck officers and more security measures both visible and invisible to the public. Each one of these layers alone is capable of stopping a terrorist attack. In combination their security value is multiplied, creating a much stronger, formidable system.  A terrorist who has to overcome multiple security layers in order to carry out an attack is more likely to be pre-empted, deterred, or to fail during the attempt.

 Under those reassuring words, the TSA posts a colorful graph showing each layer:

See the layer all the way on the bottom? Passengers? While the passengers should be vigilant, and self preservation is a great motivator, in the end, the TSA is relying on Amateurs to save the day.

Napalitano felt the System worked because the TSA  considers the Passengers part of their safety system. What they don't understand is when it gets that far the system failed.

CNSNews asked if the TSA considers airline passengers as the last layer of security for the TSA, a spokeswoman said the graphic did not imply any order of importance.

“While the graphic on our Web site does not list the layers in any particular order, each of these layers works together to create a robust security posture from curbside to cockpit,” the spokeswoman said. “An alert and vigilant traveling public is a valuable layer.”

That's not exactly true, the chart shows the security measures in chronological order. And the Fail Safe at the end is the 100+ untrained people on the airplane.

Of COURSE passengers should protect themselves if necessary, but we should not be considered part of the system. If a terrorist that gets that far it is too late.