Posted on 03/09/2012 6:21:40 AM PST by GreenAccord
This video is here to demonstrate that the TSA’s insistence that the nude body scanner program is effective and necessary is nothing but a fraud, just like their claims that the program is safe (radiation what?) and non-invasive (nude pictures who?). The scanners are now effectively worthless, as anyone can beat them with virtually no effort. The TSA has been provided this video in advance of it being made public to give them an opportunity to turn off the scanners and revert to the metal detectors. I personally believe they now have no choice but to turn them off.
Please share this video with your family, friends, and most importantly, elected officials in federal government. Make sure they understand that your vote is contingent on them fixing the abuse that 200,000 passengers face from the TSA on a daily basis.
My legal battle against the TSA’s nude body scanner and pat-down molestation program continues in court, soon with a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. If you’d like to donate to this effort, send PayPal to: jon [at] fourtentech.com
I’d like to thank:
Travel Underground – http://www.travelunderground.org/
Freedom to Travel USA – http://fttusa.org/
Legislators who have stood up to the TSA – especially Dr. Ron Paul & Sen. Rand Paul
…and all those who have both publicly and privately stood up to the TSA.
I searched for any posts in the last 2 days on the acronym "TSA" and didn't find this posted. I get a weekly email from FlightAware.com and the top item discussed on their forum yesterday was this blog entry about how their TSA's $1 Billion scanners have a major flaw.
Our blogger (@tsaoutourpants) references an Israeli chief of airport security (Rafi Sela, who ran security for Ben Gurion) who claimed that he identified this flaw long enough ago to know that he'd never implement the scanners at his airport.
Sorry to post and run. I have a meeting to get to. I'll check back later on this and see how this has been perceived by FR.
Here's a transcript of the video:
Transcript:
I’m publishing this video because I want the world to know how much danger the American Transportation Security Administration is putting all us all in with their haste to deploy the expensive, invasive nude body scanner program. When the machines came out, we were told that the invasion on our privacy, doses of radiation, and trashing of our Constitution were necessary because the old metal detectors weren’t good enough. That “non-metallic explosives” were a threat, even though no one has boarded a plane in the US with any type of explosive in nearly 40 years. But while America was testing these devices, Rafi Sela, who ran security for Ben Gurion airport in Israel, which is known for being one of the most secure airports in the world, was quoted saying he could “overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to take down a Boeing 747,” and Ben Gurion therefore refused to buy scanners. The US ignored this warning, and Mr. Sela never publicly explained his statement. But it stuck with me.
As a scientist, engineer, and frequent traveler, as well as the first person to sue the TSA when they rolled out the scanners as primary in Nov. 2010, I studied and learned about both kinds of scanners currently in use by the TSA. Here are several images produced by TSA nude body scanners. You’ll see that the search victim is drawn with light colors and placed on a black background in both images. In these samples, the individuals are concealing metallic objects that you can see as a black shape on their light figure. Again that’s light figure, black background, and BLACK threat items. Yes that’s right, if you have a metallic object on your side, it will be the same color as the background and therefore completely invisible to both visual and automated inspection.
It can’t possibly be that easy to beat the TSA’s billion dollar fleet of nude body scanners, right? The TSA can’t be that stupid, can they?
Unfortunately, they can, and they are. To put it to the test, I bought a sewing kit from the dollar store, broke out my 8th grade home ec skills, and sewed a pocket directly on the side of a shirt. Then I took a random metallic object, in this case a heavy metal carrying case that would easily alarm any of the “old” metal detectors, and walked through a backscatter x-ray at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. On video, of course. While I’m not about to win any videography awards for my hidden camera footage, you can watch as I walk through the security line with the metal object in my new side pocket. My camera gets placed on the conveyer belt and goes through its own x-ray, and when it comes out, I’m through, and the object never left my pocket.
Maybe a fluke? Ok, let’s try again at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport through one of the TSA’s newest machines: a millimeter wave scanner with automated threat detection built-in. With the metallic object in my side pocket, I enter the security line, my device goes through its own x-ray, I pass through, and exit with the object without any complaints from the TSA.
While I carried the metal case empty, by one with mal-intent, it could easily have been filled with razor blades, explosives, or one of Charlie Sheen’s infamous 7 gram rocks of cocaine. With a bigger pocket, perhaps sewn on the inside of the shirt, even a firearm could get through. It’s important to note that any metal object of any size can use this technique. …and I don’t urge you to try to bring contraband through security, as the nude body scanners often have false positives: so while the metal on your side might get through, a button on your shirt or a sweaty armpit might “look suspicious” and earn you a pat down anyway.
Now, I’m sure the TSA will accuse me of aiding the terrorists by releasing this video, but it’s beyond belief that the terrorists haven’t already figured this out and are already plotting to use this against us. It’s also beyond belief that the TSA did not already know everything I just told you, and arrogantly decided to disregard our safety: anything to force Americans to give up our liberty to the federal government and our tax dollars to companies that are in bed with that government. The nude body scanner program is nothing but a giant fraud, which should come as no surprise after the Fast & Furious scandal that sent thousands of guns to Mexican drug cartels and cost a Customs and Border Patrol agent his life. THIS is a disgrace. So let’s fix this problem — now — before the terrorists take this opportunity to hurt us: the TSA must immediately end the nude body scanner program, and return to the tried-and-true metal detectors that actually work, and work without invading our privacy, as well as implement better solutions for non-metallic explosives, such as bomb-sniffing dogs and trace detection machines.
The TSA is worse than ineffective: they are an epic fail placing us all in danger. Beyond the scanners, Demand of your legislators and presidential candidates that they get rid of this $8B a year waste known as the TSA and privatize airport security. Ask for their commitment to our rights in exchange for your vote. And no matter which party is in the White House or holds on to Capital Hill, the issue of ending TSA abuse is of interest to all Americans; it’s NOT a partisan issue. We must all stand together and demand an end to the organization that molests our families while placing us in danger by directly ignoring blatant security flaws.
Thank you.
Maybe the government will Breitbart him, but he did a service for his country.
You realize this will do nothing to relieve the nonsense the TSA puts travelers through. They will merely make you remove any loose clothing prior to entering the machine and possibly go through a nude scanner as well as the old metal detectors. If they still have doubts you’ll get a pat down. Problem solved.
TSA is aware of this, it’s how a lot of stuff gets smuggled. This is one reason they peel you out of layers of clothes, so that nothing can flap away from your body.
As this blogger becomes more popular, TSA will respond by clamping down harder. Like scanning you twice, in two positions, or having you go through a magnetometer first, then the scanner.
There is another technique aimed at the millimeter wave scanners, as well, that they know about.
The obvious answer here is that before going through the scanner everyone will need to strip off all their clothes.
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” Benjamin Franklin
Since is is obvious to everyone but the sheep who want to be fooled that the government is too stupid and too corrupt to keep anyone safe, the TSA should be fired and metal detectors and explosive-sniffing dogs should be used at airports. The Israelis have been successfully doing this for decades.
This is not about safety or the cost of causing cancer in people (see ford pinto)
This is about protecting the spending of millions on these worthless machines and the insider politicians, k street lobbyists,and stock investors protecting the money they spent.
If this was a republican administration MSNBC would be screaming for their ban immediatly.
Agree wholeheartedly. Was it Chertoff who mandated the body scanners, then went to work for the company who makes them, or was it someone else?
Contractors get rich, TSA gets power, unions get membership, the flow of cash into deep pockets is enhanced, and we get Security Theater when we fly.
Maybe there is a new scanner, costing a million apiece, waiting in the wings. If the Powers That Be can generate enough noise, then TSA will scrap the billions of dollars we have currently invested, and purchase brand new ones, that require three people to run and two to maintain. The old ones will be installed at schools to Keep The Kids Even Safer and hire union people to run them.
Just a note on FR search function. If you search for anything with fewer than 4 characters it will not return any coherent results. Search strings must contain at least 4 characters.
OK ...
I watched the video and I also fly every week in the US and sorta frequently to Eurpoe on business.
The essence of the argument is that if the images reveiwed are a 90 degree anterior and 90 degree posterior image, then a contraband item, (which shows ‘dark’) mounted on your hip will not display because it will be dark on dark in the reviewing screen — where you ostensibly are viewed directly from the from and directly from the rear.
Let me offer this: the vast majority of the imagers I encounter perform a 360 degree scan whilst I hold my arms above my head, with my feet about 18 inches apart.
While I of course cannot see the image generated, clearly the machine could produce images other than anterior and posterior.
NET: not sure I buy this idea that a hard object in a side pocket goes undetected.
REM: I AM NOT DEFENDING THE TSA.
N.B. this week I flew from point A to point B with a brand new erasable marker kit I bought at Office Depot. It included about 15 markers, and eraser, and as I found out later, an EIGHT OZ. bottle of spray cleaner.
That kit went through undetected on the way to point B, but was detected on the way back from B to A.
No further questions. Witness may step down.
Thank you so much.
I just assume that if this is proven true, they will make every person do a 360 degree spin while in the machine, so objects at your side will show up.
“they will make every person do a 360 degree spin while in the machine,”
LOL! Twirling is very precious. (Especially in a backless gown.)
While you’re pirouetting someone just might be putting a box onboard at the air cargo desk ... we don’t screen cargo AT ALL in most airports...
Orlando’s going to opt out of TSA - a wise decision...
http://www.infowars.com/major-us-airport-to-evict-tsa-screeners/
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