The European Union on Monday prohibited the use of X-ray body scanners in European airports, parting ways with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which has deployed hundreds of the scanners as a way to screen millions of airline passengers for explosives hidden under clothing.
The European Commission, which enforces common policies of the EU’s 27 member countries, adopted the rule “in order not to risk jeopardizing citizens’ health and safety.”
[…]
European countries will be allowed to use an alternative body scanner, on that relies on radio frequency waves, which have not been linked to cancer.
And then there was this little tidbit:
Within three years, the TSA plans to deploy 1,800 backscatter and millimeter-wave scanners, covering nearly every domestic airport security lane.
I feel so safe now with all my tax money going for this.
We need to remind these idiots that they are working for us. I find it appalling that we, the people, do nothing to stop this madness. Enough is enough!
TSA, Vipr, rod checkpoints… WTF!!!! When did we turn into a totalitarian dictatorship police state where laws and rights are ignored.
January 20, 2009
Yep, the day the Patriot Act was enacted, 1/20/09.
Right?
Do you mean the Orwell Memorial Act?
Wasn’t Barry going to fix all that? He promised he would.
Yes, and we’re all terribly disappointed in these Republican aspects of his administration.
I wish Obama were half the “leftist extremist” he’s crucified for being. We might actually get something done.
There is a lot of fear and mongering surrounding EMF radiation. In general there are two types, ionizing and non-ionizing. Since the energy is related to the frequency of the wave, radiation with wavelengths of ~ 200 nm and lower are ionizing (i.e. short-wave UV, X rays, gamma rays) and considered dangerous. Radiation with higher wavelengths (i.e. infrared, terahertz light used for seeing beneath your underpants, radio waves, etc) could warm you up but it is not harmful other than to your self-esteem.
“in order not to risk jeopardizing citizens’ health and safety.” – finally some scientific honesty. As posted many times – it is my profession to deal with radiation safety and if these machines are used “by the spec” ONE scan delivers exposure to the skin equal to the yearly acceptable limit in average person.
“I feel so safe now with all my tax money going for this.”
Good, that’s exactly the intended outcome!
Never mind that…. the REAL question I have is how many Americans will be employed and the ROI tax revenue multiplier effect. Less fear -> more fliers -> more money -> …etc.
I’m sure it’s a far better ROI than than the defense budget increases.
Who’s got money to fly anymore? Not me…
This is one more example of an out-of-control Federal regulatory money-sucking monster that is taking away our liberties.
I agree.
Who elected the asshole that created the TSA anyway? We should take away their voting rights for a while.
Not just the TSA, but EPA, and DOE, and HUD, and Obamacare, and Dodd-Frank, and on and on.
It was just last month that Harry Reid reminded us that “it’s very clear that private-sector jobs have been doing just fine; it’s the public-sector jobs where we’ve lost huge numbers.”
Talk about keeping his Democratic head in the sand!
Sounds like a statement of fact from Reid. Is he wrong?
As for the rest, it’s just the standard party line.
Why is it necessary to fly at all these days? Just don’t fly.
So, if I need to get from the west coast to the east coast the same day, you’re suggesting I drive a tad over the speed limit to do it? Or has an ultra high-speed rail line been installed that I haven’t heard about? Maybe they’ve perfected a Star Trek-like transporter. Have to do a Google search…
Pfft, Why is free speech necessary at all? Just keep your mouth shut.
I agree. Hardly anybody NEEDS to fly these days. We have video conferencing and so forth. I’d say that about 75% of all commercial air traffic exists just because it is cheap and people are stupid and/or sheep enough to put up with it.
And, if you want me to get locked up in a metal tube and hurled through the atmosphere at 40,000 feet propelled by a jet engine, packed in like sardines with germ invested people with not enough fresh air, the very least that I will insist on is a body search of some kind.
But all of it should be up to the airlines and their customers to sort out. Not the federal government. If I could chose between Fuair which operates pretty much like the industry does today, which is to day like the trains to Auschwitz, and Decencyair which operates with at least a hint of the idea that they are transporting human beings and how that should be done for paying passengers, guess which service I might actually use?
Unfortunately, with the state in charge of everything, including owning the airports, you’re stuck with the death train model.
I have precious little respect for the EU, but occasionally they do get it right.
This is an example of getting it right. The last time I can recall them getting it right was when the EU required cell phone manufactures to use USB connectors for data and charging rather than effing proprietary crap like Steve Jobs effing loved to do.
The EU requirements for national debt limits also would have been one of those times if they actually had made provisions with teeth to enforce it. Looking at Greece, Spain, Italy, etc, they clearly didn’t.
Uncle Dave,
Appropriate picture.
“See what we did?”
TSA = a small part of Janet Napolitano’s juggernaut.
A friend of mine flew from Ft. Lauderdale to JFK and went through the backscatter machine in Florida. I asked him why he didn’t opt out and he told me, “I don’t want the plane to fall out of the sky”. I laughed and then realized he was serious. Needless to say I read him the riot act about the possibility of cancer from such machines. Maybe I should turn him on to No Agenda.
This friend is an IT tech/manager in Florida and visits once a year. But he flys often for business meetings. His new nickname is now Mr. sheep.
This is the most elitist issue I have seen. Most people don’t fly ever. Those who do fly mostly twice a year.
On top of that, the TSA scanners are being reduced for now. Last several flights I’ve taken, the scanners were not used. Only one time have I seen them, I said opt out, and they sent me thru a regular Xray and that was it, albeit in a liberal ‘Occupied’ area. One other big airport I’ve seen that they are only used in the ‘expert traveller’ line.
You opt out and have to go through X-ray? How is that better? Now you get an X-ray…wow that’s BS too.
Sorry, by regular X-ray I meant the metal detectors that they used before.
“This is the most elitist issue I have seen. Most people don’t fly ever. Those who do fly mostly twice a year.”
My husband is a sales manager who flies to around 8 conventions around the world. That’s two flights back and forth, 16 flights a year. If everyone adopted the use of full body scanners, he would have doses of radiation exposure high enough to be considered medically risky even by the most conservative estimates. So, putting this nicely, you have no idea what you are talking about.
So does he opt out?
Still your husband’s flying is not typical.
Correction. The average flier does fly much more than twice.
Everyone should just opt out. If everyone did this the machines would be idle and the TSA would be backed up with too many people waiting for a pat down.
I just refuse to fly into or over the USA… ever. You’ve lost another Canadian tourist, but the USA probably doesn’t care.
OPT OUT!
Uncle Dave, if you need to go cross country, then plan in advance and yes, take a train. Plane travel is a luxury, and is just crass consumerism. The carbon footprint is also very high. If you are so upset about TSA, take a charter flight.
Okay. We’re radiated, groped, yelled at in line, subjected to Stasi-like tactics every time we fly. Okay, the agency has grown bloated and gross with over 65,000 (!) Bill of Rights-trampling storm troopers. So what if they spend billions of our taxes?
As long as they keep catching terrorists, I think they are well worth the hassle and money.
What?
Not one, you say?
They haven’t caught a single terrorist?
Doh!
Oh, well. At least they promise we can keep our shoes on again. Someday. Maybe.
as i have said re-pee-tate-ly, the only way you can really impact this nazi horseshit, is to STOP ALL UNNECESSARY FLYING, !!!!
when, and only when the airlines have a shitload of empty seats will you see blow-back on the TSA, the only true political power is money, so stop giving it to the airline goon squad…
Thanks for the advice, man. I’ll be sure to curb my twice daily high altitude constitutionals. Its not living if you don’t fly 15 times a week.
orion3014 said: “STOP ALL UNNECESSARY FLYING, !!!!”
You seem to have not been reading the news. They now search you at train stations and on the highways. Not always but it will be more and more. You remember? O’Bama promised us a homeland Army just as well armed as our regular military. On the way, as promised.
Don’t stop flying. Stop voting for fascists!
pedro said: “Idiots will be idiots.”
As you prove so frequently.
I’m not really a conservative nor a liberal. I’m just a guy who would like to see the Bill of Rights reinstated.
My old company rejected these machines (or very similar ones) on health and safety grounds.
Guys only care about this because they are afraid of revealing their penis size.
You are embarrassed and insecure about your penis. This is fundamentally what it comes down to.
Try and retroactively apply other arguments to it, but we know what it is you are thinking deep down.
Beanis says:”afraid of revealing their penis size”
Sorry. That would just make the screeners jealous. Nope. It’s not the size of the penis but the size of the tumor I worry about. As a medic, I have to work around some radiation exposure. I do everything I can to get the minimum. Since I work internationally, I have to fly. Hard to get a trans-oceanic choo choo or a slow boat to Kabul. So, I do everything I can to minimize my radiation exposure and that means “Opt Out.” So, I take the damned groping and snicker at the admiring looks on their faces…