TSA Scanner Debate Shows Americans Are Selective About Privacy

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People are different, clearly. But my take on it is -- in our free society, there are only two times in a person's life when their right to control their own body might be taken away. First if they are arrested or convicted of a crime. They lose the right of free movement, as well as the experience of interpersonal human touch as a regenerative action, i.e. there are no more hugs, kisses, sex, pats on the back, shoulders to cry on, etc. The second time a person can lose control over their body is in a medical emergency or during an operation.
In both the law-enforcement model and the medical model, there are clear ethics and rights. In law-enforcement, a suspect must be read their Miranda rights, and if they aren't a case can be made that their arrest was a violation of their civil rights. In the medical model, on the other hand, there are clear ethics, releases and forms are all discussed and signed, and the law protects people who are incapacitated or not able to function on their own.
But what is our situation with the TSA? We are not criminals, and they seem to treat us like suspects, but they also don't read us our Miranda rights.... So what rights do we really have? No one can explain. And while they claim to have "professional training", it appears none of that training relates to physically touching the bodies of humans. We only have to see their awkwardness with prosthetics, or their inability to avoid breaking urostomy bags to see it. Their "professional training" obviously does not include basic anatomy or physiology, or medical ethics. And then again -- what are our rights exactly when dealing with the TSA?
Personally, since we are not criminals, I would favor following the medical model. I would consent to be physically searched as long as I knew that the personnel had medical, anatomical, and physiological awareness, and had studied medical ethics. I also think medical personnel, for example an RN, should be available at all times to either witness a search or perform it.
In the end however, it boils down to confusion and upset due to poor communication. And by communication I mean TWO-WAY. That the TSA simply instituted practices, without soliciting input, ideas, or reactions is outrageous. We are not cattle that they "own". And bottom line -- what *are* our rights during screening?? Nobody can say still!!! I find that insane. They can read the Miranda rights to criminals and suspects, but they can't ARTICULATE the rights that non-criminal passengers have. Their bungling and hostility seems to imply that we have none!!!
The Declaration of Independence, which began this whole American experiment, says that the only purpose of government is to PROTECT our inalienable, God-given rights. The Constitution follows up and outlines HOW the government will operate in order to protect those rights.
By these measures, the TSA is a complete failure because our rights aren't even on their radar.

Maya Libretti of CA 9:38PM December 02, 2010

I can’t recall any American trying to take down an airplane over the last hundred years. A hundred years! Can anyone recall an American trying to take down a plane over the last 100 years? Bueller? Anyone? and patting down little kids and old women is truly a national embarrassment if not a right out obscenity… I’m truly embarrassed for the TSA management. Shame on you! Quite frankly fellas, Americans are very proud that the airplane was invented by an American in the good ole USA, if the TSA management didn’t get their head wrap up so tight over worrying they’d see the obvious embarrassment and mockery that the system has become. I don’t blame the TSA at all, I blame the management. Score one for Bin Laden.

Stephen Real of CA 10:57AM November 25, 2010

The T.S.A. is all hands on,
Feeling up passengers for stuff
That could cause boom phenomenon.
Passengers gripe enough's enough!
But while we are more paranoid,
What about not cool T.S.A.?
Whose to know that it can avoid
Hiring a terrorist to prey
Upon the passengers that go
Through his or her station to check,
Inserting go boom - whose to know?
Something to ponder - what the heck!
The agent wasn't frisking Mom,
But was in her planting a bomb.

Ima Ryma of IL 4:45AM November 24, 2010

10,000 people die every year because of drunk driving, yet no one is clamoring for a federal mandate to put breathalyzer ignition locks on every car. Why? Because a large number of individual fatalities are a statistic, but a few mass deaths become news. If Americans were good at math, we wouldn't have airline security at all.
Moreover, even if by some miracle airline terrorism were completely eliminated, the terrorists would just shift focus to buses, trains, shopping malls and rock concerts.

Bob of CA 3:08AM November 24, 2010

Suspicion is the best defense against radicals who within their bowels hide WMD. No grope no matter how deep is wrong if it helps to guarantee a safe and quiet flight.

morris wise of NY 6:34PM November 23, 2010

it's amazing how spoiled we are. instead of helping ourselves, somebody or a group of people have to come up with some complaint about something and blow a situation out of proportion. to what extent are we going to realize that we are NOT immune to terrorism (even post 9/11). there has to be a balance between the agency doing their part to protect us and the public going through this new process. it is true some agents will either exaggerate or violate their own agency's policy and the person their having to search so those agents should be reprimanded. at the same time, the individuals being searched or scanned shouldn't be fighting the system that's trying to protect them and everyone else. i sympathize with those who encountered those random acts of violation (e.g. the man with the bladder issue) and i hope that agent will be held responsible for his actions. nonetheless, what else does the government have to do to avoid a terrorist getting by with explosives in his underwear?! terrorist are not sorry for the actions they take. why should we make it easy on them? i personally have not had to be patted down and haven't been through the new body scanners but i did have to have my carry-on bag searched and i had forgotten about the feminine sanitary pads i had thrown in there and what an embarassment as it along with other personal articles were strewn about where everyone in the line behind me could see. this is what the world has come to folks and unfortunately it's not going to get any better. i'd much rather have this in place for my safety and everyone's than avoid some psycho from casually being "overlooked" and permitted on the plane.

Jennifer of NC 6:17PM November 23, 2010

Everyone at airports should just repeat to themselves: "It is very important that the Jews control the Holy Land cop-out instead of the Muslims." Possibly have a sign at airports stating such, as Israel is the root of the entire problem -- and that's according to bin Laden.
I realize we've been killing thousand of innocent Muslim civilians since 9/11, actually thinking we're making those people like us more; that we actually targeted civilians, not Saddam Hussein, in economic sanctions against Iraq from 1990 to 2003; but, still the root of the problem is Israel's violent, selfish unfairness against Muslims.
The Goldenrule Name (the-goldenrule.name)

The Goldenrule Name of KS 4:13PM November 23, 2010

TSA's Lie :"is irresponsible for a group to suggest travelers opt out of the very screening that could prevent an attack using non-metallic explosives,"
The following is by Heather Mallick Star Columnis (I think it is a Canadian publication):
"It isn’t just that these (fimine sanitary napkin) will show up on a scanner — which some will find
utterly humiliating — it’s that passengers will then get a grope while
explaining their bodily failings to the guard. How do guards know if a pad or bag doesn’t contain Semtex or liquid explosives? They don’t, they’ll
want a look, and then we’re into a fresh hell entirely."
Americans have a problem with being screened to board an airliner with cosmetic security by a reactive
T otaly
S tupid
A gency
Israeli security experts have refused to install these scanners at Ben Gurion International Airport, which is widely hailed as the safest airport in the world. Rafi Sela, the former Chief Security Officer of the Israel Airport Authority, explained he could “overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to take down a Boeing 747.
Any idiot can thwart both the x-ray strip search and the "Enhanced pat-down" simply by internal body packing!
6 months later...CNN SPECIAL REPORT>>>>>>>"The new single use sterile rectum cam probes are being utilized as a process to make sure the traveling public is safe," she said, adding that the probes did not pose health risks and that privacy safeguards have been adopted".
What is my answer?
Who do the terrorists hate the most?
The Israelis.
Who has a perfect airline security record?
The Israelis.
Who does no routine groping and x-ray strip searches?
The Israelis.
Who profiles more than anyone in the world and has the best intelligence data base?
The Israelis.
Fire Ms. Napolitano and hire Israeli Mossad to manage our airport security