http://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/AVWebIn...k_203643-1.html

http://tsamustgo.blogspot.com/

I seriously am at a loss for words at this. Reading those two links should give you a good idea as to why I am.

Simply put:

TSA has imaging scanners at most, if not all, major airports in the US. This imaging scanner doesn't look through you to find things that might make you a threat. No. These take monochromatic images of you as if you didn't have clothes on. And people of all ages and genders are subjected to this treatment.

The bad thing is, if this isn't stopped right now, the TSA might find a way to get this same equipment set up in train stations, bus stops, and even possibly find a way to scan cars.

This doesn't scare you at all? If you decide not to get a nude photo of you up on their screen, and don't allow them to grope you, then you will be subjected to a $10,000 fine.

Way to go government. :/

Thoughts on this?

This is really scary stuff. I can't believe we've gotten this far without there being a massive backlash. Where does it end? At what point do we stop eliminating privacy and civil rights in the name of "security"?

I don't think you really have a leg to stand on when complaining about this. I seem to recall your favorite Republican party giving TSA all of this power and control over security. Patriot Act? Unconstitutional detentions? This is no different.

IIRC they are using x-rays to do the imaging because we all know we need more radiation entering our bodies.

Speaking of the TSA, they seem pretty incompetent for the most part, and I certainly don't trust them with any kind of private data. As those articles you linked and related stories indicate, they've gone from "we don't save any of the images" to "we only save the images for a few seconds" to "oh, here's thousands of saved images".

Actually, I think all politicians are corrupt. All should be investigated, and if found guilty of crimes, executed. But that's just me.

And I have every right to protest this. I didn't support the patriot act. I didn't support the unconstitutional detentions. Which is an Obama thing, btw. If you speak out against him in anyways, you are added to an enemy list, and can be held indefinitely without trial or otherwise.

Most of the conservatives on this board (like myself) tend to be hold to libertarian ideals, not Republican ones.

Your ignorance has me at a loss for words...



As far as the scanners go, it might be a necessary evil. It sucks, but if you can't accept the idea of getting scanned, you should probably kill yourself now, because as we head into the future, scanners are going to become more popular and used in more places as the weapons people can carry become smaller and easier to conceal. I mean, look at star trek. Do people complain about privacy when the transporter scans them for weapons? No, because they've gotten over it. Eventually, people are going to need to get over scanners, because eventually, everything that can look for weapons on your person will be able to look at your private parts too. That being said, I am concerned about the radiation, and I do agree that fining people who would rather just go home is plain messed.

As for the pat-downs you guys are calling rape, that's nothing new. Security officials have been using pat-downs all over the world at clubs, parties, private villas, factories, and other places where weapons and contraband are a concern, for well over a century(hell, my dad gets a pat-down almost every day when he leaves his work, should we file a lawsuit against his job for rape?). I'm not sure I like the idea of a government-enforced pat-down, but that doesn't make it any worse as a practice than when it's used in countless other places.

All that aside, I have heard that these security measures don't actually detect the kind of explosive the underwear bomber used, which was the whole precedent for this, which makes me think this a pretty useless system anyway. Putting pilots through these procedures is pretty stupid too, because they already get control of the damn plane. It also doesn't appear to make the security lines go any faster, which I think a lot of people would be willing to trade their privacy for.



If that's true, then stop f*cking voting and identifying as republican.

The problem I see with giving up a little privacy/rights is that the government might not know when to stop. Give them a little, they might take a lot. It may not be likely, but these issues are too important to risk.

And how often does that happen? I've never heard of a single plane "blowing up."
Regardless, there are 49315 flights in the world on average. So, the likelihood of you or a loved one getting on a plane that is targeted is 0.0003%

Not even Lockerbie? Wikipedia has a list of others.

I had never heard of that, no.

I don't, I identify as a libertarian and only vote Republican when a libertarian option is not available (and the Democratic candidate is a scuzzball).

More relevant to this topic is the don't touch my junk story that just got posted to Wired (link is to the source, not Wired), as are 100 naked citizens.

Napolitano: ‘Adjustments,’ ‘More to Come’ on Women in Hijabs Undergoing Airport Full-Body Pat-Downs

You have 100% got to be kidding me. Is this lady serious... she actually has to think about this question?

I say, "pink slip."

lol wut?

Bush is responsible for all of that, Obama had nothing to do with it.

This isn't a Democratic/Republican issue, it's just a DOD/TSA issue.

Interesting read: "Little Brother", by Cory Doctorow.
http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

Should be fun to read, and the whole book is a nice reference to stupidity like this.

I'm not saying it's right for the government to force people to go through this(it's not), just that pat-downs aren't new or illegal(my dad gets them ALL THE TIME) and scanners aren't going to go away, and in fact will only become more portable and widespread as the technology matures and becomes safer. Eventually, everywhere you go you're going to get scanned for contraband, whether it be book stores, bars, the local supermarket, even other people's homes. Hell, eventually everyone will have access to hand-held scanners, so get used to people looking at your penis.

But like I said, it's not there yet, and what they are using isn't doing it's job anyway. However we need to do something to combat threats like that posed by the underwear bomber, or they'll just keep trying that over and over. A better solution would be the sniffer machines they have at some airports that detect if there's explosive residue on you.

And THAT future is COMPLETELY unacceptable to me; that's exactly the direction in which we're heading. If you don't see the problem with that future, then the media has already brainwashed you to be doubleplusgood obedient.

Umm... that's exactly the thing we don't need. In fact, that's exactly the future described in the book I've suggested, "Little Brother".

Do you really think that more scanners will help? Since we're on the topic of that interesting "underwear bomber" case, let's talk a bit about that. PETN is the explosive used, and the guy was trying to inject a liquid to detonate it. Now, obviously the TSA decides to use body scanners, which I don't mind as much, but they could be potentially harmful to your health. But does it help? No. Where do you think it's going to go now? Just use your imagination and you'll see why this "prevention" won't help.

Explosive detectors, like your suggestion, would be the preferable option. Then again, PETN isn't exactly a very detectable substance. Guess science and tech will have to save us again...

That's surely an example of what not to do? It sounds like he went to the airport to pick a fight. If he has a problem with this (and it sounds like he was perfectly aware of the terms and conditions to flying when he bought the ticket) he should surely be getting in touch with his government representative, not having a go at the people trying to do their jobs.


I may as well say you've been brainwashed into a state of paranoia by the media to think the government are out to get you. Some people genuinely don't have an issue with being checked for illegal items, others do; to call one side or the other brainwashed is a lazy way to avoid a debate.