JUST TRUST US. --Oh, sorry, we lied.

[elfgrove]

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

I am outraged, and all the more confirmed that I will never submit to the back scatter scans no matter how the TSA tries to humiliate passengers into it.
I fly fairly regularly, a minimum of 4 times a year, and this fills me with keyboard-smashing, unintelligible rage.

"Earlier this year, the U.S. Marshals Service admitted that--despite promises from federal agencies that such images could and would not be stored--some 35,000 images from a scanner at a security checkpoint at a Florida courthouse had been saved.

One hundred of those body scan images have been leaked by Gizmodo, which obtained them through the Freedom of Information Act."

• huffingtonpost.com: 100 Body Scans From Security Checkpoint Leaked
• gizmodo.com: One Hundred Naked Citizens: One Hundred Leaked Body Scans

Oh hey, also... The "enhanced pat-downs"? Have a video: Video of TSA Screener Accosting 3 Year Old Child at Security Checkpoint

Quotes from the articles linked below:

"The degradations of passing through full-body scanners that provide naked pictures of you to Transportation Security Administration agents may not mean that the terrorists have won -- but they do mark victories for a few politically connected high-tech companies and their revolving-door lobbyists."

"Their letter to Holdren said "it appears that real independent safety data do not exist." In addition, the authors say: "There has not been sufficient review of the intermediate and long-term effects of radiation exposure associated with airport scanners. There is good reason to believe that these scanners will increase the risk of cancer to children and other vulnerable populations."

"TSA officers told her the naked body scanners don’t even emit X-rays. "It’s a myth," the officer said. "There are no X-rays from those machines.""

"I asked him if he was looking forward to conducting the full-on pat-downs. "Nobody's going to do it," he said, "once they find out that we're going to do."
In other words, people, when faced with a choice, will inevitably choose the Dick-Measuring Device over molestation? "That's what we're hoping for. We're trying to get everyone into the machine." He called over a colleague. "Tell him what you call the back-scatter," he said. "The Dick-Measuring Device," I said. "That's the truth," the other officer responded."

"The TSA quietly changed its procedures a few weeks ago to what it delicately calls "enhanced pat-downs," which involve screeners using their fingers--instead of the backs of their hands--to feel the outlines of male or female genitalia."

"Negrin was walking through a full-body scanner as part of security training when a supervisor started making jokes about his small dick. According to the police report, after weeks of harassment, Negrin "could not take the jokes anymore and lost his mind." So he followed a colleague to the parking lot and beat the shit out of him with an expandable baton..."

"it remains unclear whether [the scanners] would have been able to detect the weapon Mr. Abdulmutallab [the underwear bomber] used."

"Roberts notes the progression of this liberty-leeching invasion:
After the shoe-bomber attempt, we had to remove our shoes. After the underpants bomber, we had to be electronically strip searched and groped.
What will happen, he asks, after the first time a terrorist smuggles a bomb on a plane inside his rectum or in a breast implant?
There was a time, not too long ago, when that would have been a comedian’s witty one-liner. Now, it sounds more like the future rushing upon us."

"We are the ones stopping terrorists on planes. Not the TSA."

Articles because I'm too pissed to properly articulate my rage.

• ksl.com: TSA's new pat-down draws more complaints
• cnet.com: Biochemist says 'naked' X-ray scanner may be unsafe
• infowars.com: TSA security officers flunk physics
• gawker.com: Small Penis Jokes Ignite Airport Meltdown
• reason.com: Pilot Organization Calls for Boycott of Nudie Scanners
• washingtonexaminer.com: 'Naked scanners': Lobbyists join the war on terror
• theatlantic.com: For the First Time, the TSA Meets Resistance
• theatlantic.com: 'Are Any Parts of Your Body Sore?' Asks the Man From TSA
• theatlantic.com: The Things He Carried
• SaysUncle.com: TSA Blogging
• pajamasmedia.com: Don’t Let Strip-and-Grope Become the New Normal
• wikipedia.org: "The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures."

Comments

[shibamura-prime.livejournal.com]

What's next? The government telling me I can't buy a goddamn Happy Meal?

Oh wait...

[elfgrove.livejournal.com]

Yup. I hope you don't like your plastic toy movie tie-ins San Francisco. Although, at least the mayor tried vetoing that.

[eldanildiel.livejournal.com]

Guess who won't be flying or subjecting her children to that... ever.

[elfgrove.livejournal.com]

The problem is, if you're crossing the entire country (as I usually am) flying is the only reasonable option.

But the idea of either of your girls, or anyone frankly, being subjected to this is horrifying.

[eldanildiel.livejournal.com]

Which is also going to be the case for my father-in-law since he travels for business at least twice a month. Fortunately, there's no reason for me to have to fly cross-country so I won't be planning any trips of that nature in the future, and I'll most likely be writing a letter to the airlines and letting them know why.

On a side note, I wonder if this will boost rail travel for those who can afford the longer travel time and ticket price...

[temujin-gk.livejournal.com]

I think the train companies are really losing a great opportunity here. If they boost passenger trains & advertise, I think a lot more people would be willing to take the rails. I certainly would; though prices need to drop some too.

[eldanildiel.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. They could make a mint if they'd just be smart about pricing and boost advertising.

[bluebeetlev3.livejournal.com]

Bought time something got this country off it's collected lazy indifferent ass. I'm rather enjoying watching this blow up.

Although If I manage to get out to New York or Dragon Con this year security should prove interesting to say the least.

[temujin-gk.livejournal.com]

The scanners also don't detect explosives and half of the crap that is a supposed threat. It's such bullshit.

I'm just waiting for some pedo to get hired for this job; easy access to legally, naked children there--and crappy jobs that no one really cares about.

[xaynie.livejournal.com]

*sigh* unfortunately, I've already been subjected to these machines. I fly too often and the fact that I "look like a terrorist," not only do I get the naked machines, I also get a flavor of patdown of some sorts. *fun*