Anyway, let's get to some substance.
There are more urgings to continue to opt out of the strip search scanners during this busy travel week. This would cause a much higher number of gropey sexual assaults, which take longer, thus intentionally causing massive delays in protest. The administration is advising against that, of course, but we don't see them going through any of this, so they're hardly the voice of reason here.
In fact, reason is one thing that is sorely lacking. The TSA maintains it's impossible to save or transfer images from the strip search scanners...despite the fact that thousands of such images have been captured.
More lawmakers are pushing for an investigation of these measures. They need to push harder. One even suggests prosecution should be in order for thuggish TSA behavior. Texas Governor Rick Perry suggested that these gropey TSA agents should ply their security skills on the southern border where some security is actually needed.
A career police officer with gratuitous experience with these new security measures offers a well-reasoned suggestion that the combination of incompetence and unconstitutionality will inevitably lead to rebellion, new terrorist attacks, or both.
Another analysis argues that these procedures will actually cause more deaths on the highway.
Fortunately, pilots have now been exempted from these asinine procedures. I guess the TSA finally admitted that there was no danger from fingernail clippers in a pilot's pocket compared to the actual controls of the plane being in the pilot's hands. Brilliant deduction, Holmes. Too bad they won't acknowledge that children, nuns, and frequent business travelers don't present more danger of terrorism than young Middle Eastern men.
Now, some more horror stories...
- 3-year old wanded, groped, and searched
- Thug TSA agent searches purse, examines receipts, and takes checks for $8k
- General molestations continue
- Thug TSA agent forces woman to cut off nipple rings with pliers
- Good news: body cavity searches not required...yet
- That'll probably start when they implement the same procedures for buses and trains...
- 6-year old literally strip searched
- Thug TSA agent bursts cancer survivor's colostomy bag during
'pat-down'assault - TSA says kids under 12 are exempt...but video evidence says otherwise
Don't believe him? Enter the Mythbusters (language warning):
Or, did you hear the one about the kid who found a loaded gun clip in the seat back pocket in Phoenix?
*sigh*
You know, it's really sad when this t-shirt design resonates so much that people are making fistfuls of money:
I would say this is reality, but the real scanners don't show the pantyline.
Once again, this policy is an abject abuse of government power. It is a clear violation of the 4th Amendment, and obvious security theater rather than substantive policy. It is precisely the opposite of effective, reasonable, and common sense security, it assumes the worst about law-abiding American citizens while willfully turning a blind eye toward those who present a genuine danger.
It will only change with an increase in the outrage from the American people directed toward Congress. Call your Senators, call your Rep, and demand they act immediately.
I will be very interested to see what happens this weekend with the huge volume of travel. Will a huge number of unaware Americans be shocked to see this behavior first hand for the first time? Will the delays be longer than usual because of the opt-out of the strip search scanners? Will the outrage be ratcheted up a notch, and if so will it translate into action?
While I certainly don't wish these experiences on anyone this weekend, I do sincerely hope that people's eyes will be opened, and that the backlash will be substantial.
We shall see.
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