Posted on 07/25/2010 7:28:29 AM PDT by Texas Peartree
I travel a lot for work. It has been that way for the past dozen years and will not change any time soon. Although I have probably been to just about every major city in the US, I had not been to Boston in decades until I went on a family vacation this past week.
Flying into Boston was fine, but flying out of Boston's Logan's airport was a shock. For the first time I encountered the body scanners that are being adopted soon nationwide. In essence, you are pushed toward a black screen, told to put your hands above your head (like a criminal, and forcing females to unintentionally arch their backs to the delight of Security) and a minimum wage official in nearby room checks your naked body for weapons.
Me: Um, I'd rather go through that regular metal detector (pointing).
Security peon: Are you refusing to go through the body scanner?
Me: Well, I just don't feel like you and I are in a place in our relationship where we are ready to see each other naked.
Security peon: Are you refusing?
Me: Sort of, and so is my 14 year old son and my 13 year old son.
We ended up getting a rigorous pat-down, and a lecture on how airport security are trained professionals who have taken an oath not to discuss what is seen on the body scans. I am not a privacy extremist, but the Guardian newspaper rightly points out that these machines break all sorts of child pornography laws. Yet, parents sent their teenage daughters into these scanners like sheep to the slaughter. Why?
Isn't part of being a human that we get to decide when and whom we share ourselves with?
Within the first few weeks of these machines being adopted...
(Excerpt) Read more at corybirenbaum.blogspot.com ...
Sounds like you ran into my cencus worker!
This would be one of the reasons I’m driving 18 hours on my next vacation instead of dealing with the airport.
“Sounds like you ran into my cencus worker!”
I suppose most people are willing to get pushed around, but if everyone requested a pat-down instead, we could force them to take away these machines that are such an attack on our rights.
The security peon probably enjoyed the “rigorous pat-down” of your sons more than the peep show.
They’ve got one at BWI. It was only being used for one of the lines, and after I saw what it was, I jumped into the other line with the regular metal detector, while the other people simply went in like sheep to the slaughter, thinking nothing of it.
Easy fix, don’t fly!!!
“Easy fix, don’t fly!!!”
My job is to visit customers. I cannot drive weekly from Houston to New York and Seattle. If I accept this, then I would need to quit my job.
Or fly privately, if you can.
Much more pleasant.
Public nudity is only safe in heaven.
I thought those scanners were run by IRS agents?
Just had the same thing happen in a trip this summer. I was directed through the metal scanner but the rest of my family including my teenage daughter had to go through the full body scan. They make you stand in an awkward position and if you don’t do it right they get very rude. Then they make you stand on two footprints for several seconds (someone will have to tell me why that is). I used to love to fly but it’s getting to the point that it is not worth it anymore.
They need to pull the Arabs and Muzzies out of the lines and search/grill them. And stop violating the privacy of all others at airports. If necessary ban Arabs and Muzzies from flying altogether. They can just take one of their magic carpets.
So, you “sexualized” the body scanner, presumed the “security peons” to be perverts, pedophiles, and unprofessional...and opted for the rigorous body pat down for yourself and your teens? Well played! Having developed training vids for TSA, I can assure you, you’re not as sexy, hot, witty, or special as you think you are. (I’ll bet you’re insufferable at restaurants.)
You want to insist all these “professionals” don’t get a giggle out of scanning folks that’s fine, how do you address the harm these scans can do to the human body. Give me the government quote on that!
Let’s all remember that Boston’s Logan Airport is where three of the four jumbo jets hijacked on 9/11 took off. If these procedures had been used on 9/11, it probably never would have happened.
Having said that, it’s impossible to justify an invasion of privacy that goes this far. Ordinary pat-downs, luggage scans and searches, and a metal detector should continue to be sufficient.
I did the same thing at BWI two weeks ago Tuesday (twice that day, first flight was cancelled so back to the check-in area). Just dropped off my stuff on the belt, walked past the body scanner line and through the metal detector.
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