If anything the underwear bomber just gave the government the excuse to deploy them on a shorter timeline.
If McCain, or any other Republican had won, these scanners would still end up being deployed.
This is not a conservative/liberal issue, or even a conservative/libertarian issue. This is a public security issue.
Whether your or I like it or not these scanners will be fully deployed and an overwhelming majority of Americans will learn to tolerate them.
They may eventually get rid of the backscatter X-ray versions, if they prove to be unsafe. However the mm wave versions will stay put.
We are now forced to wear seatbelts, helmets when we ride motorcycles, etc. There was a big hew and cry among libertarians and constitutionalists about how these were grave impositions on our freedoms. But the vast majority of people were willing to go along.
That is what will happen this time. Especially if there is another incident where a terrorist gets on a plane at an airport without the scanners.
The rugged individualists who exposed themselves to great risks in order to found this country have given birth over time to average human beings who crave security more than freedom. We are now as risk averse as the typical European and our nation's laws will begin to reflect that.
Didn’t the underwear bomber get on a plane before it got to the US? Scanning here would never have caught him.
Then we get what we deserve. Why wouldn’t that logic lead to the our 2nd amendment rights being overturned. I mean..it’s for our security. When do we draw the line?
“Whether your or I like it or not these scanners will be fully deployed and an overwhelming majority of Americans will learn to tolerate them”
This is a true statement, unless of course we the people refuse to tolerate them.
Tell you what—I believe we will refuse. Marxism-inspired police tactics don’t go over too well, nor do other marxist ideas.
The democrats, and any republicans going along with them, will answer to us.