The STUPIDEST post-9/11 restriction for us DC folks has been eliminated at long last. Thank the gods. Maybe now I'll start flying out of DCA again.
-rick Rules for Reagan Airport Passengers to Be Eased Requirement to Remain Seated for 30 Minutes Will Be Eliminated http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/13/AR2005071301 327_pf.html By Sara Kehaulani Goo and Spencer Hsu Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, July 13, 2005; 2:30 PM Passengers at Reagan National Airport will no longer have to sit in their seats during the first 30 minutes of every departing and landing flight, the Department of Homeland Security announced today along with of a larger restructuring of the agency. The elimination of the rule won't happen immediately, but will begin shortly after the agency issues security directives to airlines, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said at a lunch with reporters and editors of The Washington Post. He said it was time for the rule to be eliminated because he is confident that other security measures in place, such as hardened cockpit doors and better screening, make it unnecessary. The rule was put in place as a condition for reopening the airport after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Chertoff also said his agency would collect 10 fingerprints from foreign visitors who enter the United States through the US VISIT program, which began taking digital photographs and collecting two index finger prints from visitors in 2004. "I don't want the American people to think we only add on" new security measures, Chertoff told told a group of editors and reporters in a meeting with The Washington Post this morning. "We can scale it down, we can remove a restriction" if it becomes necessary, he said. "We've got to make decisions to manage risk." The announcements came just before Chertoff is scheduled to deliver a speech in Washington outlining major plans to reorganize the department to better focus the agency on its core mission and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy. Chertoff said he plans to create new under secretaries for policy and preparedness and create a new office of intelligence. He said he also plans to create a new sector to lead and coordinate operations. You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.
