Body scanner boycott…

I declined to help on the basis that as a general aviation pilot myself, I’m not prepared to support anything that makes that aspect of flying more difficult.

Thanks for the integrity.

Meanwhile, this story is buzzing around the internet and the water cooler circuit: 😮

http://www.naturalnews.com/030495_TSA_infectious_disease.html

Agree completely. But the politically correct Obama administration won’t accept that.

The “politically correct Obama administration” didn’t introduce the TSA and all the security theatre that came along with it.

And what does “politically correct” even mean? Can anyone tell me?

The other thing that needs to be implemented right NOW is profiling – the intelligence and technology is there to allow profiling to be a meaningful part of a multi-layered strategy on security. And I’m sorry, if your face doesn’t fit the profile, it SHOULD take longer and require closer examination no matter what your gender or ethnicity.

Andy

Agree completely. But the politically correct Obama administration won’t accept that.

TSA — a boon to bizjets

Yup, and sooner or later those morons are going to latch onto the fact and make bizjets more difficult to use, thus lending a plank to reducing the potential of another industry (having already made adverse inroads into short-haul air travel in the US, where evidence points to drops in short distance flying due to the hassles the TSA has created). In fact, fairly recently I was contacted (via airliners.net) by someone in Washington about one of my photos, asking to use it as a part of a paper on the threat General Aviation posed to security – I declined to help on the basis that as a general aviation pilot myself, I’m not prepared to support anything that makes that aspect of flying more difficult.

Andy

The TSA view is arrogant in the extreme – using time as an excuse for justifying the use technology that at BEST compromises a passengers’ privacy and at worst could be dangerous to health is simply not on. If pay-downs are the only really SAFE way of doing things, then pat-downs it has to be and in which case the TSA needs to employ a lot more staff to keep the queues moving. And as a frequent traveller typically flying at least one round trip a week, I’ve yet to be convinced that my being regularly exposed to even low-level radition is cumulatively over time a good thing for me. So yes, I dislike the whole body scanners and I’ll do my best to avoid them whenever possible.

The other thing that needs to be implemented right NOW is profiling – the intelligence and technology is there to allow profiling to be a meaningful part of a multi-layered strategy on security. And I’m sorry, if your face doesn’t fit the profile, it SHOULD take longer and require closer examination no matter what your gender or ethnicity.

Andy

TSA — a boon to bizjets:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-1129-travel-briefcase-20101129,0,1762581.story

The Obama administration already has ridiculously low poll numbers and low approval ratings. The new security regulations are obviously unpopular, yet the administration is not removing the requirements. Thus, to me, the threat must be perceived as being very real. if it weren’t, they wouldn’t expend the political capital, of which they are already in short supply. Therefore, I support the TSA and the politicians in this instance, although I am hardly an Obama supporter.

I’m all for the scanners if they’re safe.

If you are an infrequent flier there may well be very little risk of harm in being scanned. But I cannot believe that if you are a very frequent flier, or an airport employee, that being regularly scanned is as harmless as not being scanned.
Airport security is very important, but it should be about controlling terrorism not newspaper headlines.

I’m all for the scanners if they’re safe. I’ve been patted down loads as well and treat it as routine, except for one time…

I was very thoroughly patted down at Schipol once (at the height of post 9/11 dilligence) and the security guard came very close to ‘cupping’ me – that, his very firm grasp and the fact that I am incredibly ticklish nearly made for an embarrassing international incident.

Can’t say I have no. Though I have read enough to know that on occasion TSA staff do go too far.

However, I think that if you refuse the scanner search, you should accept the “humiliating” pat down. There should be no exceptions to security.
It just takes that one person who protested loudly enough and was let through to bring down an airliner.

Sandy,

I’m not against the scanner per se. I already used one. There is not the problem. The problem here, US specific, is the TSA. It is a huge, costly show put up to make people “feel” they are safe while subjecting them to degrading treatments. I’ve heard of TSA wanting to par down the arms of someone wearing a sort sleeve shirt, or other nonsense like that. Security is good, but it would help to turn on the brain before wanting to the job.

Have you ever gone through TSA?

Do you really think that a 70 year old lady living in say, North Dakota is a security threat ?

With the proper motivation, any one is a threat.

Back in the 80s, a mother was ambushed by IRA terrorists, her children taken from her and a bomb placed in her childs pram. She was told to walk up to a British Army checkpoint or her children would be shot. She did so, they detonated the bomb, killing her and two soldiers.
Around the same time there was another, very similar, incident where a family car was stopped, the mother and three children pulled out of the car. The father, a British soldier, was told to enter his barracks with his car or his family would be shot. He did what they demanded, a bomb in the car boot exploded, killing the driver and wounding others.

You will not have heard of these incidents as they are not common knowledge. One picks up a few things growing up in the forces. Warnings about these incidents and many more brutal ones were posted in guard rooms etc, telling soldiers to be aware of anything out of the ordinary such as a soldier coming in on his day off!
Anyway… the moral of the story is that terrorists will do whatever is needed to accomplish their goals, including making the innocent do their dirty work.
If that means coersing little granny Smith from down the street to board an aircraft with C4 on her person, then that’s what they’ll do.

I cannot comprehend why people are so against such a simple and non evasive security procedure that could potentially mean the difference between life and death! I support these scanners and think they should become a legal requirement. Furthermore, refusal to submit to a scan should mean refusal of carriage with no compensation.

This is utter lunacy. The TSA should be disbanded now.

And I sincerely hope that with the Thanksgiving travel, most people opt out of the scanner thing. I also hope that people are frustrated enough to make things change.
This masquerade of security has lasted long enough. It is time for profiling.
Look at he US terrorist most wanted list, and tell me if you see a pattern there.

Do you really think that a 70 year old lady living in say, North Dakota is a security threat ?
Some months ago, soldiers coming back from combat reportedly had to give up nail clippers and swiss army knives at a TSA “security” checkpoint, while they were allowed to carry rifles, machine guns, sidearms, and military issued knives.

Private firms were there before, were more effective and did cost less to operate. (if you work for a private company and sleep on the job, or stand around chatting like I often saw the TSA employees doing, you get fired)

And just to lighten up this thread: http://famousdc.com/2010/11/19/new-tsa-bumper-stickers-we-handle-more-packages-than-the-usps/

I know that pat downs do work and are effective in detecting threats. I am more than happy to receive one if asked, as I know all too well it is ensuring the safety of all the other passengers (I’m pretty sure the analogy has been used on here before, that even the nicest of old ladies could potentially be bribed to smuggling something if all her family were at risk).

But I am also happy to pass through a scanner (regardless of what someone sees of me) if it is felt that is the most effective method of preventing threats.

And as for the issue of time? You are probably going to be sitting on a plane for hours, who cares if you have to spend 10 minutes standing in a queue to ensure your safety?