Wednesday, December 14, 2005

I hope the snoring doesn't bother the passenger...

From the WaPo

Teams of undercover air marshals and uniformed law enforcement officers will fan out to bus and train stations, ferries, and mass transit facilities across the country this week in a new test program to conduct surveillance and "counter potential criminal terrorist activity in all modes of transportation," according to internal federal documents.

Adams, of the Air Marshal Service, however, said marshals are the law enforcement arm of the TSA, which is charged with overseeing all modes of transportation -- not just aviation. "This is part of our responsibility to assist in the non-aviation domain," he said. "The whole purpose is that people will not know when we're going to be there or if we are going to be there. It's a preventative approach."

Oh, we'll know, Marshal. When you come to TITT (Truckee Intermodal Transportation Terminal), you'll vastly outnumber the usual passenger awaiting a bus or train.

Hint on maintaining anonymity and stealth: On a big ski weekend when there actually are quite a few Amtrak passengers, use a St. Bernard with a brandy keg on its collar and carry a snowboard. Over-moussed hair styling optional. Nobody will notice the guns, radios, and pasty complexions, or that you don't get on the one train in either direction per day.

We actually did have a bomb scare there this year. Some guy left his backpack unattended while he went across the street to have a drink while waiting for the bus. Anti-terrorism teams, dogs and everything, were called in from miles away. They used a water cannon to blast his spare skivvies far and wide.

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