Ashcroft Takes Aim At Cargo Security

Screening cargo in airplanes, on the aviation security back burner since Sept. 11, is about to explode off the stove. According to aviation sources, Attorney General John Ashcroft next week will hold his first ever press conference on an aviation security issue. The topic: The high vulnerability of materials placed on the nation's passenger and cargo planes.

Ashcroft will announce the details of a frightening breach of airline safety, a case in which hazardous material was illegally put on a plane run by Emery Airlines, a cargo airline that went out of business in 2001 (A plea agreement in the matter has been reached with the Justice Department). Though Ashcroft may not explicitly link hazmat and terrorists, aviation specialists say the frightening prospect is that terrorists will get their hands on hazmat and try and to get it on cargo planes.

Remember, everyone, even if cargo planes are actually underdefended (especially since their pilots aren't even eligible for the armed-pilot program), this is very likely to be just another bait-and-switch by Ashcroft. He'll show us the bait -- a so-called "terrorist threat" -- and then propose his favorite solution: reducing our rights. No thanks.