Posted on 11/12/2010 10:44:28 AM PST by george76
Two months ago, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the federal stimulus legislation would pay for the purchase of hundreds of controversial full-body scanners.
"Through the Recovery Act, we are able to continue our accelerated deployment of enhanced technology as part of our layered approach to security at airports nationwide," Napolitano said at the time.
The number of scanners has roughly doubled since Napolitano's announcement and they are now found in 68 U.S. airports, and the Transportation Security Administration says the controversial devices have proven to be a success.
"We have received minimal complaints," a TSA spokeswoman told CNET yesterday. She said that the agency, part of DHS, keeps track of air traveler complaints and has not seen a significant rise.
A growing number of airline passengers, labor unions, and advocacy groups, however, say the new procedures--a choice of full-body scans or what the TSA delicately calls "enhanced pat-downs"--go too far.
Unions representing U.S. Airways pilots, American Airlines pilots, and some flight attendants are advising their members to skip the full-body scans, even if it means that their genitals are touched. Air travelers are speaking out online, with a woman saying in a YouTube video her breasts were "twisted," and ExpressJet pilot Michael Roberts emerging as an instant hero after he rejected both the body scanning and "enhanced pat-downs" options and was unceremoniously ejected from the security line from Memphis International Airport.
One lawsuit has been filed and at least two more are being contemplated. There are snarky suggestions for what TSA actually stands for, attempts at grope-induced erotic fiction, and now even a movie.
These privacy concerns, and in a few cases even outright rebellion, come as an estimated 24 million travelers are expected to fly during the 2010 Thanksgiving holiday season
(Excerpt) Read more at news.cnet.com ...
If the unions decide to fight this one (say, with a strike), I will gladly support them on this. Yikes, I’m actually siding with the unions on something!
Only thing is the grievances are not against the airline companies, but an overreaching FedGov. Then again FedGov gets some considerable revenue from taxes and fees from airline travel. Would FedGov get the message in that case? Not with this Regime. They would just jack up taxes and fees so that air travel is prohibitively expensive except for the elites and ruling class (can’t allow the proletariat too much mobility, donchaknow! That’s just for the Nomenklatura, tovarisch!)
I heard that “Big Sis”has a direct email line for all images for her viewing plesure.
TSA selected a cute young girl to run thru their porno cameras
The American Express of bureaucratic jargon: They never leave home without it.
Doubtless talking about the official written forms — irate phone calls and letters don’t count. The public should be educated about these written forms.
Is that anything like "enhanced interrogation techniques"?
Screening pilots for proscribed objects is doubly insane. The easiest way for a pilot to crash a plane is simply to crash the plane.
The most effective measures are locking cockpit doors, and arming pilots. Our government has obstructed the arming of pilots for years. Pilots could have mostly been armed within weeks after 9/11.
“Napolitano announced that the federal stimulus legislation would pay for the purchase of hundreds of controversial full-body scanners.”
The way to stop this is to require all Cabinet level officials and below to fly commercial, non-first class. I know they belong to the Executive Branch, but there must be a way.
“Most importantly, are Business Class travelers guaranteed a “happy ending”?”
I assume that there are a lot of hookers out of work since they can’t advertise on Craig’s List.
“Our government has obstructed the arming of pilots for years.”
They’re afraid that everyone will find out that pilots are more proficient with handguns than the Air Marshals.
Grooming and manipulation.
They just like harassing innocent civilians. Teaches them to be submissive when faced with government agents.
There will be no body searches or newly introduced, more dangerous X-ray machines for me — I will simply no longer fly. Thankfully I do not have any reason to fly anymore — glad I saw the world before all hell broke loose.
But I wonder what would happen if most people refused the new X-ray ‘walk thru’ and instead opted for the body search? If thousands were demanding body search just imagine the havoc at airports. This ridiculous govt. would have to think of something ELSE — something sensible, like PROFILING!!
This has gotten so ridicules I am almost at the point of wagging my willy at them.
If enough people just say, hell no, we are not flying until this useless POS procedure is done away with, we can stop it.
Meanwhile, our government has taken away more of our rights, like the right to unfrettered travel.
If I ever fly again, I’ll be tempted to wear a kilt through the line and opt for the groping. Won’t they be surprised to learn what an American wears (or doesn’t) under his kilt...!
Good point! What would happen to that person if they “spazzed out”
LOL! And you may want to grease up some of the junk under the kilt as well. Really get them disgusted with it.
I guess I’m done flying since I’m hung like a thumbtack.
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