With the scan machines out in the public for many months now, you’d THINK the X-ray flux question would be public information. A fair comparison would be between the X-ray dose from the scan machines and the X (and cosmic) -ray dose gotten from simply flying in the upper atmosphere.
Since it’s explosives that are being looked for... why the heck aren’t DOGS being used. If the metal detector does not ding and Semper Fido smells nothing, then let the passenger go, no scan, no grope (er, “patdown.”) Yeah, Muslims would scream bloody murder because dog slobber is defiling.
This is the reason for the concern. Pilots and flight crews get relatively very high doses of radiation every year just by doing their jobs. They understand and accept that risk. But they don't like getting x-rays or other radiation unnecessarily. And getting another nice blast every time you go to work, if not a couple more times a day at other airports, for purely the PC satisfactions of a bunch of communist seiu union thugs, is unacceptable.
I think you've hit on something here!
I'll bet you that's EXACTLY why they don't use sniffer dogs! They've been warned by the mussies NOT TO - did you know that the Fort Hood Jihardist served on the board that advises airline security protocol? I wonder how many other mussies do?
So we law abiding Americans have to be turned into humiliated, violated citizens - AND they ARE doing this to little children too! - rather than take a chance of "offending" the very group that is suspect.
I want to know if mussies are being subjected to the SAME groping - or, when they get them in the 'file room' - is there a different protocol?
What we should do is simply let the Israelis come over and teach us how to set up our airline security. They've had many years experience - very successfully.
Personally, I wonder if this isn't all part of a plan to get us used to suffering indignities - while fearing to even speak out - softening us up to meekly submit and comply like the German and Russian people had to under the Nazis and Communists.
I'm a great grandmother and am flying to Italy next year for a family wedding. I'm not sure I can go through that insanity without letting them know what I think - in which case, I expect I'll be hauled of in handcuffs.
Could some of you who have traveled overseas recently tell us if this insanity is going on everywhere?)