WEEKEND MEMOS

'Weekend memos' give our editorial writers a chance to express their own opinions, comment on topics they have been writing about, or take a lighter approach. The opinions in 'Memos' do not always follow the Enquirer's editorial positions.

The federal agency charged with protecting air travelers got slammed this week for asking to cut $104 million from the air marshals program when Homeland Security officials were warning that al-Qaida may try more suicide hijackings.

Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., was one of the chief slammers. He chairs the House subcommittee that oversees Homeland Security's budget. "It is foolish to even consider cutting back the number of air marshals on commercial flights," he said.

President Bush warned Wednesday that the threat from al-Qaida was real. But security officials wonder if this latest threat could be disinformation. A captured al-Qaida operative said the hijackers, armed with travel items modified into weapons, will again try to dupe passengers into believing it is just a hostage mission.

In a free society, we can never reduce the threat level to zero, but that's no excuse for caving in to deficits, complacency or disinformation. Transportation Security Administration officials say cuts to reduce a $900 million deficit won't lower the number of air marshals, but rumors were rife that marshals would be cut from cross-country or overseas flights to save on hotel bills. Will deficits pose as much a threat as hijackers?

We need to decide how much risk we can live with. The ACLU and Muslim-American groups filed a federal lawsuit in Detroit challenging the 2001 USA Patriot Act that grants expanded government powers for surveillance. Justice Department officials defend the searches as narrowly targeting criminal terrorists and requiring court approval. Homeland Security also will begin testing a computerized prescreening system ordered by Congress. It assigns a threat level to all airline passengers. Privacy advocates are freaking. The New York Times reported security officials also worry al-Qaida may gain access to U.S. air space through Transit Without Visa agreements that let people without visas spend several hours here to connect to other international flights.

There are still lots of holes in homeland security. It's a good thing flight crews will be trained in self defense and cargo pilots are also armed.

Tony Lang