• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

TSA pat-down poll

Junk touching pat-downs: What say you?

  • I'm never getting on another plane as long as I live.

    Votes: 6 33.3%
  • I'll go for the naked photos. I've already got a whole facebook album set up for them!

    Votes: 9 50.0%
  • Sign me up for an "enhanced pat-down" - I enjoy having my genitals fondled by a same-sex stranger.

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • If I say no to both, do I get a free cavity search, or is it just a fine?

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • Total voters
    18

Alceste

Vagabond
OK, so the nudie pics / junk touching pat-down is all over the blogs these days. Apparently, if you're traveling in the US by plane (or to the US?) you are now required to let the security folks ogle your naked x-ray self (on a machine that can capture and save images and has internet connectivity). If you're shy about that (or concerned about the serious health risks of radiation) you can choose let strangers grope your boobs, bum and / or crotch with an open hand, face up, under your clothes.

tsa-body-scan.jpg


Now, I travel a lot, and I'm thinking I would RATHER take the chance of being potentially blown up in the sky by some deranged panty bomber than submit to either a peep show or sexual molestation every time I board a plane.

What about you?

I'll say this, I'm not going to the US again until they're finished chasing terrorists. I don't care how low their dollar drops compared to ours. The TSA appears to be conducting a giant Stanford prison experiment and I'm happy to keep well out of it. I wish you all the best of luck clawing back some of your civil liberties.
 

Smoke

Done here.
Well, we're screwed on domestic flights, but I wonder whether people in the northern states will start traveling to Canada and fly to Europe or Asia from there.
 

Alceste

Vagabond
Well, we're screwed on domestic flights, but I wonder whether people in the northern states will start traveling to Canada and fly to Europe or Asia from there.

Well, I'm pretty sure nobody's grabbing crotches in Canadian airports - yet. But our current PM is a major slobbering kiss-*** American fan-boy retard totalitarian schmuck, so we might soon be getting free, gay, dirty-gloved airport hand-jobs too.
 

blackout

Violet.
As I said in another thread,
I'll take the RISK of terrorist,
over the GUARANTEE of terrorist in a 'security' uniform.

If I HAD to fly for some reason,
I'd bring my own new box of gloves,
just in case.
seriously.
and
I would not bring my children.

It's so messed up.
 

Zardoz

Wonderful Wizard
Premium Member
Never flying again, taking car or train. Almost died once already in those flying deathtraps. I wonder if I can volunteer for the no-fly list? :D
 

dust1n

Zindīq
Wasn't flying no where and wasn't planning to any time soon, and my decision was made way before scanners.
 

Kathryn

It was on fire when I laid down on it.
I'd like to point out that since 9/11 there have been numerous ATTEMPTS at mass destruction/terrorism on US airline flights, but none have been successful - so in that sense, mission accomplished.

As a US citizen who flies either domestically or internationally several times a year, I'd say that I've been irritated at times by the security (especially the time I got my toothpaste and sesame seed oil confiscated when I forgot to put them in my checked baggage - but that was my fault, not security's fault!). I've never been unduly delayed or harrassed.

I've learned the tricks - how to pack liquids, what to wear to easily walk through the check points, and especially this - getting to the airport with plenty of time to spare. In spite of my frequent travel, I still review the security guidelines before each trip just to be sure I'm not accidently making things difficult for myself - or others.

As much as I wish we'd more toward something like Israel's screening procedures, and I have no problem at all with profiling by professionals, I think that's unrealisic in the big picture. Israel can do this because they are a tiny nation with a tiny number of flights compared to the US. The sheer volume of travelers and flights in the US creates a unique set of challenges.

I would be willing to pay more per ticket in order to fund better hiring and training of TSA employees. Ticket prices have not gone up much (if any) in at least ten years. Air travel is amazingly cheap.

No one is forcing me to fly anywhere, and I don't see the screenings as a civil rights issue as much as I see the need for better training of some TSA employees.

As for flying - it would take a lot more than a body screen to keep me from visiting the people I love, or going on fabulous vacations! Let's put this in perspective - the amount of radiation is minuscule, no one really cares what your body looks like on one of those screens so get over the freak out over an X ray (and definitely unsexy!) image that lasts a couple of seconds, this screening technique is not even in place in most US airports, and the new patdown technique is only used when a person refuses to agree to the body scan.

I'm not saying the new system is perfect - far from it. I am sure there will be mishaps and ridiculous scenarios occasionally, but I suspect they will be few and far between, and I hope even those are exposed, reported, and corrected in short order.

I'm watching this carefully, but at the present time I have no fear of flying, no qualms about the image screening, and no plans to cancel my upcoming flights.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
For all who fly today, remember that today is Opt Out Day. Allow extra time just in case.
 

Kathryn

It was on fire when I laid down on it.
For all who fly today, remember that today is Opt Out Day. Allow extra time just in case.

And you know what? Man, I would be TICKED OFF if a bunch of protesting goobers jacked up my travel plans today.I'm glad I'm not flying today, but it's not because I'm glad to be avoiding the screening. I'm glad to be avoiding the potential for significant delays caused by protesters.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I cannot believe we screen pilots. What on earth is the mindset of this action?
Security theater implemented buy Vogons who were bullied as children, & now want revenge against humanity.
That's my theory anyway.
(You'll note that TSOs are exempt from their own procedures.)
 

Reverend Rick

Frubal Whore
Premium Member
Security theater implemented buy Vogons who were bullied as children, & now want revenge against humanity.
That's my theory anyway.
(You'll note that TSOs are exempt from their own procedures.)

Yeah, we trust eight dollar an hour TSA employees and distrust the person flying the plane. Brilliant! :facepalm:
 

Dezzie

Well-Known Member
Now, I travel a lot, and I'm thinking I would RATHER take the chance of being potentially blown up in the sky by some deranged panty bomber than submit to either a peep show or sexual molestation every time I board a plane.

What about you?

I agree and feel the same way. This is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever come across... Me being in the Military isn't going to help either since I travel ALL THE TIME. My next Command is in Hawaii so if I want to visit my family, I need to be GROPED and DEGRADED every time I want to visit them! :mad: The Government is only trying to gain control over all of us! I'm starting to think that these "Conspiracy Theories" were true all along and we need to OPEN our eyes to this madness! This is morally wrong, degrading, and just pure sick. If they say this is because of 9/11 I'll assure you, that IT has NOTHING to do with this decision. The Government has plotted this control for many years. They are just now putting things in affect.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I agree and feel the same way. This is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever come across... Me being in the Military isn't going to help either since I travel ALL THE TIME. My next Command is in Hawaii so if I want to visit my family, I need to be GROPED and DEGRADED every time I want to visit them! :mad: The Government is only trying to gain control over all of us! I'm starting to think that these "Conspiracy Theories" were true all along and we need to OPEN our eyes to this madness! This is morally wrong, degrading, and just pure sick. If they say this is because of 9/11 I'll assure you, that IT has NOTHING to do with this decision. The Government has plotted this control for many years. They are just now putting things in affect.
Conspiracy? Erosion of liberty & the reasons aren't so secret - it's for our own good.
Security is far more important than liberty, & most voters agree.
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
To the pat downs I say, no thanks.
As for the scanners, you get less than 2% of the amount of radiation you are exposed to in one day of simply walking around. You are actually exposed to more radiation during the flight than you are during your scan.
And for the "OMG, someone is seeing me naked!!", I say big deal. Unless the TSA is hiring hormone engorged 16 year old boys in the back room who are getting off on the images between glances at their Victoria's Secret catalog.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Now, I travel a lot, and I'm thinking I would RATHER take the chance of being potentially blown up in the sky by some deranged panty bomber than submit to either a peep show or sexual molestation every time I board a plane.
At this point, that's not even the issue.

Conventional scanners are already just fine with amounts of explosives that are large enough to actually take down a plane. These backscatter x-rays allow them to see even smaller amounts than conventional scanners, but when you're talking about explosives in people's underwear or shoes, you're talking about items that can only damage a plane or injure people, not destroy the plane or kill anyone (except maybe the person wearing them).

I saw an interview with a security expert last night. His position was that better imaging technology only provides a very slight increase in security, and the thing where you really get the bang for the buck (no pun intended) is automated detection: he said that the way things tend to get through security now isn't that they're not detected, it's that the operator who's staring at the same screen for hours upon hours on end gets fatigued or distracted. He said that what's really needed isn't more precise imaging; it's a machine, probably with no better detection ability than before, where a computerized system turns on a light or sounds a buzzer when a dangerous object is present.

I think this was especially vividly illustrated by Adam Savage at w00tstock recently:

[youtube]q3yaqq9Jjb4[/youtube]
YouTube - #w00tstock Seattle: Adam Savage says "WTF, TSA?"


Well, we're screwed on domestic flights, but I wonder whether people in the northern states will start traveling to Canada and fly to Europe or Asia from there.
Canada's got the machines, too (either that or they're in the process of rolling them out... I haven't flown in a while, so I'm not sure of the status), but not everybody has to use them. They're reserved for people who have been deemed to require "enhanced screening"... IOW, if you would've had to get a pat-down in the past, now you have the option of being scanned instead.

Yeah, we trust eight dollar an hour TSA employees and distrust the person flying the plane. Brilliant! :facepalm:
I trust the pilot not to crash the plane. I don't necessarily trust the pilot not to smuggle drugs.

Gangs and other criminal organizations are always looking for holes in the security net to get illegal materials back and forth, and people who can go from groundside to airside without being checked are worth their weight in gold to many nefarious people... especially those who have convenient excuses for flying frequently between their supply location and their customer base.

The most recent incident in Toronto involved a group of baggage handlers, but there have been many cases over the years of flight crew members being implicated in this sort of thing.

Actually, that's one of my big concerns in all this: I worry that in this craze to track down even the smallest object that might be used as a weapon, other security threats are probably being missed.
 
Top