Body Scanners and Rules for Flying

Body scanners are the latest in a long line of stupidity called “airport screening.”  The latest rounds of indignity and idiocy have been triggered by a Christmas attempt by a terrorist to blow up a plane coming from Denmark.

Led by the Idiot in Chief and his minions, TSA has taken an unfair hit – YES, I am defending the TSA.  Why?  Because they had NO PART in screening passengers on a flight from Amsterdam – the Netherlands is responsible for screening of passengers in their airports.  If there is any failure, it is the willingness of the US government to put the safety of US bound flights in the hands of other governments and many who support terrorism.

The latest nonsense is the FULL BODY SCAN.  While it is being touted as the ultimate prize in stopping terrorism, there are more than a few problems with them.

• COST  – The scanners cost $150,000 each, plus installation and training.  Currently, the US has 40 acanners and plans to up than to 150 by years end.  the US has over 13,000 airports.
• ACCESSIBILTY – How will these be effectively placed and used in the airports.  Most major airports have multiple screening lines
• EFFICIENCY – Not one credible expert has said that a full body scan would have caught the explosives sewn into the underwear.  Just as removing shoes would not have caught Richard Reid’s shoe bomb, it is doubtful that a body scanner would have caught the underwear bomber.
• MAINTENANCE – Will the maintenance be kept current and what will happen to the security lines when they are not working.
• PROFESSIONALISM – Will the people running the scanners also be running uploads to You Tube and Twitter of the famous and not so famous?
• PRIVACY – One article I read said “they also reveal a person’s silhouette and the outlines of underwear” – No, they see through your clothes – all of your clothes.  They will show the sanitary pads and the incontinence diapers.  And when those register, will we be put through a strip search?  Will there be any limits to the indignities we will be expected to endure?
• HEALTH RISKS – What are the health risks for people being exposed to low level radiation?  I have heard ‘it is no more dangerous than going to the dentist.’  But, for frequent business fliers, this would exceed the acceptable level of radiation in no time.  Dentists won’t do x-rays several times a week, month after month either.
• RISKS FOR CHILDREN – Are we on the edge of the pedophilia laws?  What are the radiation risks for babies and toddlers?
• SCREENING OF AIRPORT EMPLOYEES – Are the people who work at the airport going to be subjected to this?  How about the maintenance, food and cleaning people with access to the airplanes?  The flight crews?  The ground crews?

So, this “fix” may be nothing more than a costly joke.

The additional foolish things that have been put into the works:

During flight, the aircraft operator must ensure that the following procedures are followed:

1. Passengers must remain in seats beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
2. Passenger access to carry-on baggage is prohibited beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
3. Disable aircraft-integrated passenger communications systems and services (phone, internet access services, live television programming, global positioning systems) prior to boarding and during all phases of flight.
4. While over U.S. airspace, flight crew may not make any announcement to passengers concerning flight path or position over cities or landmarks.
5. Passengers may not have any blankets, pillows, or personal belongings on the lap beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.

So…. no information, no blankets or pillows (what time do the flight attendants need to start taking these away from passengers to make the one hour deadline?), no personal belongings – that means no book, no lap top, no knitting, no magazines – just sit there and fume.

Even more interesting is the directive for the airlines to do a physical pat down of all passengers before boarding and to reinspect the carry on luggage.

See the rest here – you will especially like the exceptions of people who do not have to be searched:  http://gizmodo.com/5435188/leaked-homeland-securitys-post-underwear-bomb-airplane-rules

If anyone actually thinks this will make anyone safer, I would like to live in the la-la land they do.  It will make traveling more difficult, more stressful and more expensive. It is evident that Obama thinks he can make up stupid rules and snap his fingers and it will be so.

Al Qaeda has to be laughing at us.

Thoughts?

Update – Did you know that any photo software can reverse these scans and get a perfect nude picture?  No privacy concerns there!