Growing backlash against TSA body scanners, pat-downs

Fox is jumping on the band wagon as well.

'Invasive' Airport Screening Stirs Backlash Among Airline Passengers

The federal government's efforts to beef up airport security amid increasing terror threats is sparking a growing backlash among airline passengers, labor unions and advocacy groups who say the "naked strip search" machines or aggressive pat-downs that screeners use go too far.

"They have wide discretion but they don't have unlimited discretion," said John Verdi, senior counsel with the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, a privacy advocacy group that is challenging the government in court.

My guess is that this movement will snowball and the TSA is about to get a rude awakening.

reply to post by harvib


Why are you not complaining about other regulations imposed upon the airlines, by the FAA? Why not do away with safety inspections, pilot licensing, pilot flight time restrictions, pilot alcohol consumption, and all of those other pesky little things that are supposed to make us safer, when we fly? After all, they are intrusions to someone, as well.

reply to post by WTFover


Because it is beyond the scope of this thread. I was just simply trying to correct, what I believe, to be a common misconception that occurs in this debate. Namely that it is the private business imposing these security standards. It isn't.

You chose to respond advising me that it is not my property and I must abide by the imposers "rules and regulations". I had a few questions regarding that advise and am wondering how you respond...

reply to post by WTFover


I completely agree, but you know none of this security is enough really. I mean people could put things in their rectum. I think we should all have to submit to rectal probes before we are allowed to fly. After all it's not our airplane. Don't you agree?

And what about sporting events or conventions held in town centers across the country. Hell there are a lot of people at the mall too. Rectal probes should be in all these places. People who go to these places and don't own them should be willing to submit to whatever is required to get in these places - otherwise we aren't safe, right? And hey if your not willing to do it then you don't get to go in. Simple as that.

Grocery stores should be added to the list. Someone might take something in a grocery store and contaminate something and kill or hurt a lot of people. They might smuggle it in their rectum. A metal detector might not be enough as it may not have metal in it. Body scanners might not be enough as they only see to the skin. Rectal probes are the only solution. Do you own the grocery store? No? Oh well, too bad, so sad. Get the lube ready!

reply to post by MegaMind


And what's more: you are more likely to experience acts of terror at these more "general" places than you are at the airport! That's why the argument that "Airport scanners are necessary to ensure security" is an unfounded one. It is this type of mindset that will eventually lead to what you described in your post. People deluding themselves that the Government has their best interests at heart - a Government that couldn't possibly be capitalising on ways to enforce stricter, more obedient control of their population.

reply to post by NuclearPaul
[more

ppl refusing to go thro tha scanner isnt gonna affect tha ppl at tha airport. all its gonna do is slow down how fast we all get thro tha line. if u dont wanna do it screw it dont matter to me or anyone else. its for our safety and ur jerks wanna refuse it and bash on it

Was JUST exposed to this crap over the weekend while traveling---It is beyond disgusting. They made me strip down to virtually nothing, forced me into a x-ray scan, and were just like a group of thugs bullying people. Confiscated my TOOTHPASTE, because it was over 3 oz in weight. lol. Gotta protect us from that dangerous tootpaste!

I watched them totally groping and molesting an elderly man. You could see the humilation on his face.

No one should have to be subjected to this type of violation just to move from point A to B.

Not sure I will fly again any time soon. Which is, I'm sure, exactly what TPTB want. Limit and restrict us all with their tyranny. Despicable.

In the interest of defending my good name, I would argue it was not "exceptionally displeasurable", but I will concede to the gentleman with mod privileges.


Click here for more information.

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


What would it serve to have people willingly ground themselves? Well, let's see...The already-in-trouble airlines will die with a resounding thud. So be it. Think about the economic ramifications in terms of tourism, shipping, business, etc. Businesses will localize. Families will stay physically closer. The land and skies will stay cleaner and quieter. Communities will support their citizens. Where's the bad in that?

Seen from the right perspective, this alone could save us from ourselves more than anything else. Sounds good to me!

I just have to post for all the pro-scanner people (and shills) out there, much of what I am gonna say is already in the thread, but bears repeating.

Step back and look at the issue objectively. The government has worked very hard to convince us that the only place terrorism can happen is at the airport (or maybe a nuclear power plant). This is so patently untrue that it hurts, all one has to do is think logically for one second about it. As people have said, grocery stores, coliseum events, fairs, parades, new year's, 4th of July...The list could go on forever.
Hell our borders are so porous that getting a shoulder launched AGM to the end of a runway is probably easier than trying to board a flight!

So with this fact in mind, what is the motivation for this ever-increasing shakedown at the airport? Let's look at the non-nefarious reasons:
It creates lots of jobs and boosts scanner industry.
It keeps the screening process arbitrary, so minorities (read: Muslims) from getting unfair treatment.
It decreases the rare chance that someone could actually get on a plane with a weapon.

Now lets take a peek at possible nefarious reasons:
It perpetuates the myth that airports are the only real public threat.
It boosts the scanner industry, who can perfect their products and decrease costs for future sales.
It prepares a cult like organization of screeners that are well trained to not employ logic and rational thinking.
It has begun the process of targeting "internal threats." ie people who don't look, think or speak like the herd norm.
It introduces the concept of invasive government searches in order to travel.

As a whole, the system is easily abused by individuals on power trips, or seeking sexual thrills. More importantly, it is easily abused by the government, as a checkpoint that can compile profiles, biometrics, travel habits and data on anyone of interest. Who knows how much data the scanners collect, really? I do not believe that the data is discarded, nor do I believe the body scan is all the machine collects.

I am not a prediction guy at all, but you watch: This process will be rolled out in federal buildings and courthouses next. After that, public venues and so on. And manning the checkpoints? TSA.

reply to post by rjgonza87


I can only believe that you have come to ATS as you also have doubts about the motives of TPTB so I will give you the benefit of the doubt. The body scanners and the rape-downs are nothing more than a big foot stomping on your constitutional rights to see just how many people will roll over and take it. I'll tell you what, I'm going to dress up in uniform and randomly select people as I walk down the street to search them and perform a more than just intrusive back of the hand pat down for their safety. Would you be ok with that?

That is EXACTLY what is happening. The next time I travel I will attempt to do so by airplane. I will refuse the body scanner and DEFEND myself if they go near my genitals with open hands. The whole time I will belittle the TSA workers loud enough so anyone can hear me. If I get arrested then so be it I will fight it. That is what needs to happen. Someone needs to be the patsy and get arrested for defending their constitutional liberties before a light will go off in the public's eye.

This is a tragedy of government power. It seems that more and more everyday our lives are becoming monitored and directed without most of the public even realizing what's going on.

Originally posted by MMPI2
Do any of you guys know what the pat down entails?

Do they ask you to take off your clothes?

Do same-sex TSA agents do the pat-downs?

A few ideas:

Volunteer to take off all of your clothes, and then begin to take them off. All of them.

Ask to have a cavity search, but demand a woman (if you are a man) do it.

Encourage them to do it in plain site of other passengers.

Wen the gloved finger goes into your rectum, release the contents of your bowels onto the face/clothing of the TSA agent. Consider frontloading Hormel Chili, McRib sandwiches and metamucil cocktails three or four days prior to the planned trip.

Simultaneously void your bladder, while doing a lawn sprinkler-like movement in order to add to the effect.

In your confusion, step into, smear, splash and spread the feces and urine onto surfaces and people.

Would this be a venue through which to be civilly disobedient?

Would such actions take a psychological toll on the TSA workers?

Your thoughts, please.

Seriously, guys...I'm really thinking about this as a strategy. I am truly interested in your thoughts about the above actions as a protest.

Thanks

reply to post by MMPI2


The problem with using that as a strategy is the last part about smearing feces all over the place can be regarded as assault. Feces carries diseases which can also propagate tuberculosis so chances are you'd end up in cuffs after a series of welts be administered by men and women with night sticks along with lawsuits from the other sheep who happened to be cannon fodder for your projectile diarrhea.

Seriously though decline the scanners and defend your constitutional rights at the pat down. Belittle the worker and verbally abuse them loud enough so everyone can hear you. Make sure you speak loudly towards anyone that points or watches you and tell them that all their 4th amendment rights are being stomped on. I bet if you make enough TSA workers and enough people do this to make them feel like crap about themselves then you will have more people leaving the TSA and anyone left is a true sociopath degenerate of society.

The President of Palau was flying commercial and they wanted to rub him and his wife down for "security".

He refused. He hopped on a private chartered plane and continued on without some smuck rubbing him and his wife down.

Any jim, bob, or Al Quaeda could do the same. Our Government is using the boogey man to remove our freedoms and liberty. But then again our stupid Government can't track all the people they let come into America from evil countries to "attend school here" on visas.

I think our military brought in military members from Afghanistan for "training" and lost them in our own country. Our Federal Military refused to protect the States from invasion and 45 million people from every country on Earth walked across the Rio Grande and broke into America.

Our own Federal Government let bad guys enter our country. This TSA crap is not even funny. It's their "attempt" to make it look like they provide security. When all along they've been letting the bad guys in to rob, rape, murder, and pillage our nation.

The Supreme Court should imprison Congress along with every military officer serving/retired who allowed the States to be invaded.

Maybe it would be easier to ban the scanners on a state/regional level.. Start campaigning to get it on your local ballets next election.

After 9/11, we all became terrorist suspects. After the Underwear Bomber, we all became Prisoners.

I am pleased to see that most people, at least in this online community, are against this kind of personal sexual harassment by the federal gooberment.

Makes me proud to be an American.

On a personal note, my sister and I got into a huge argument about this yesterday. I'm flying down to LA for Christmas to see her, and when I told her I would opt out of the full body scanner and say something embarrassing to the TSA agent touching my genitals she said I was stupid - that they are trying to stop terrorists.

Needless to say, that set me off on a rant about history and the rise of fascism and the police state, and how if we just submit to everything they tell us to, then they will take everything. This is a proven historical fact, and 100% certainty in the USA. I also went on to inform her that there is a greater likely hood of being shot by a police officer than dying in a terrorist attack on an airplane.

She said that I shouldn't embarrass the TSA agent, he's just doing his job. I said "following orders" didn't fly and Nuremberg, so it sure as hell shouldn't fly with you. She said it's not the same, I informed her that the principle is exactly the same.

In short, this trip this Christmas will be my last by choice, unless they change this insane, invasive, demeaning procedure.

I will not submit myself to privacy invading technologies, and I will not consent to mild sexual molestation.

New thread on the matter
TSA Agent Arrested-Accused Of Raping 14 Year Old Girl