Posted on 11/14/2010 9:05:38 PM PST by george76
Screening gets way too personal.
The agency is rolling out new full-body scanners, which eventually will replace metal detectors at all checkpoints. These machines replicate the experience of taking off your clothes, but without the fun. They enable agents to get a view of your body that leaves nothing to the imagination.
A lot of people, of course, couldn't care less if a stranger wants to gaze upon everything God gave them. But some retain a modesty that makes them reluctant to parade naked in front of people they don't know, even virtually.
...
The Allied Pilots Association calls it a "demeaning experience," and one pilot complained it amounted to "sexual molestation." The head of a flight attendants' union local said that for anyone who has been sexually assaulted, it will "drudge up some bad memories."
But the option of the full-body scanner is not so appealing, either, even leaving out privacy concerns. Two pilots' unions have advised members not to go through the scanners because of the possible risks of being bombarded with low doses of radiation.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
ht comments
I caught that myself. Once again, government enterprise in action. Go ahead with the child porn they are advocating with their body scanners. Go to Hell US Government.
The Judge is kicking ass.
Lock the DAMN DOOR.
The TSA began hijacking your freedom the day they started the “security” crap at the airports many years ago. Some of us bi**hed about it then but didn’t get much response. Fedzilla was conditioning us to accept more and more restrictions on our freedoms from day one.
But, of course, say you, didn’t their system of NOT PROFILING do a splendid job by keeping those 19 muzzies off planes on 9-11? Goodness, if they hadn’t been stopped, they might have killed over 3,000 people, knocked down buildings and...
Oh. never mind.
It begs a question of anyone who has a real-world grip on how governments — ALL governments — operate:
“Did anyone really think the situation would get better for the travelling public?”
“Necessity is the plea of every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” (William Pitt, 1759 1806)
What El Al does. Profile behavior.
My apologies, if a terrorist cannot get control of the aircraft then that premise is gone. If she wants to kill 75 people she can do that anywhere.
“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
-Benjamin Franklin
The full body scanners are more knee-jerk reactionism from an agency that has no clue about security. These scanners won’t catch any of the substances that the terrorists are experimenting with, nor would they have caught either the shoe or underwear bombers.
There’s security and then there’s the appearance of security. The TSA and the DHS are experts in practicing the latter.
Hey, what are they going to do, trample on my First Amendment rights too?
How about profiling the people who are trying to kill us and stop pretending that ordinary Americans are part of the threat?
El Al Airlines has done this for decades and it works exceptionally well.
We did fine in this country since it’s inception with our own criminals and traitors while keeping our freedoms. We got taken by foreign Islamic terrorists who should not have been in the country doing what they were doing in the first place.
The government’s efforts and powers given in the aftermath of 911 should be geared to exactly the Islamic murder wannabes in the US. They have the borders open wide knowing terrorists are coming in. They have people with terrorist ties operating in our government. The military brass left a jihandist in his job at Fort Hood knowing he was a threat. This homeland security game is now a basket case.
The government should not be striping the rights of Americans who pose no Islamic threat to the Nation as if we are all potential domestic terrorists. If it comes down to living like that - under the boot of a police state with no guarenteed liberity, I would rather take the hits from the terrorists who get by. Political correctness is not only a dangerous mental illness, it is ravishing liberity.
No mischief bent moose has succeeded in buffaloing past El-Al security since the one incident that prompted their heightened vigilance many decades ago. But El-Al also made itself much less welcoming to would be hijackers. from the word go... barging into an El-Al cockpit in the year 2001 would have already been impossible.
As for explosives on would be suicide bombers, I say DOGS! Bring on the dogs. Let them sniff.
You can always give them a fig, throw them a rod, you get my drift, inside the X-ray room.
I like Dogs. They smile alot
I shouldn’t say this. I’ve been holding off on saying this for quite a while. It’s been even tougher since this stupidity started. I’ve reached my limit though, so here it goes:
I haven’t flown unarmed since 9-11.
What? Am I afraid to go to prison? Nope. Not at all. My weapon of choice is scanned before every flight and seen for exactly what it is.
What weapon? A high quality steel pen. Yes, a writing instrument. Also one akin to something I spent 2 years training with.
Could I take a marine with it? An air marshal? Anyone well trained? Nope. Not a chance. And I wouldn’t want to even try. Not my goal.
But a jihadi? No problem.
My point? It’s all security theater. But now it’s security theater that exposes us to radiation or sexual molestation.
I am done with flying. From now on, I’ll ride (Shadow 750) where I have to go.
When is enough enough?
PS Mr. Robinson is cc’d on this comment in case it is out of line and deserving of a zot.
“The full body scanners are more knee-jerk reactionism from an agency that has no clue about security.”
Close. It’s security theater. But very lucrative security theater, which fits the mold of the crony capitalist aka fascist state we live under...
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