Man arrested after (ahem... "releasing") during TSA pat-down

aussiesmg wrote: I think the terrorists have already won

They won a while ago

alfadriver wrote: I'm saying that it's being blown out of porportion. Scanners were NOT at every airport, and the were NOT used on every single passenger. that is what was (and still is) implied in all of the reporting. FLL has a large number of cruisers that go in and out of there- so there's a pretty significant apparent risk, but it's not part of the program. But if you want to get your panties in a bunch over it, go for it.

At my airport they scan everyone, unless you stand up for yourself and opt out. It's coming your way. Unless we stand together and let the TSA know that we're tired of their antics and will hold them accountable.

After the undie Bomber they're grabbing sack and vag. What's going to happen when they knee-jerk react to the a$$hole Bomber? Yup. Meet Ben. Ben Dover and spread'em. (Now I sound like HESS!)

Just because it doesn't affect you doesn't mean it's right.

Xceler8x wrote: Just because it doesn't affect you doesn't mean it's right.

Not once did I say it was right. Never have, never will.

I'm saying that the news is blowing the issue far out of porportion. Which is typcial of our "fear terrosism" rule of news. When you say your airport scans everyone, is that YOUR observation from travelling, or the news? Our news was reporting scanning happening at my terminal, and it was NOT happening. That's my point.

There are a lot more REAL things to worry about than terrorism.

Eric

In reply to alfadriver:

just because its not being done right now, doesn't mean that they won't eventually be scanning everyone that goes through. the news isn't making that up, the TSA is planning on scanning or fondling everyone in the near future.

alfadriver wrote: Not once did I say it was right. Never have, never will. I'm saying that the news is blowing the issue far out of porportion. Which is typcial of our "fear terrosism" rule of news. When you say your airport scans everyone, is that YOUR observation from travelling, or the news? Our news was reporting scanning happening at my terminal, and it was NOT happening. That's my point. There are a lot more REAL things to worry about than terrorism.

Eric,

My real name is Jason. Nice to metcha.

We're on the same page for 99% of this.

Fear news sells. I hate hearing that crap all the time. "Look out! Something can possibly hurt you AND YOUR KIDS!" It's ridiculous. I'm SOOO with you there. Seems to affect older folks more than younger. Although a friend of mine has a late 30's wife who was petrified someone was going to break into their house just to snatch their kid. You couldn't tell her that Raising Arizona was a fictional movie. This is the same woman who wouldn't let her kid go to the library. "Creepy old men hang out there." You know, because every pedophile is a single guy walking down the street with his hands in his pockets.

My experience with the scanners is from travelling domestically (RIC to CA) and internationally (RIC to Mexico). It's the same. RIC was one of the first airports to have scanners and they use'em. On everyone. So yeah, my experience is first hand.

I think the TSA is jerking everyone around under the guise of "Fightin' Tearorr!" It's their excuse for anything. For example: People don't want to get sexually assaulted so plan a protest for Turkey day. The TSA halts all scanning and "enhanced pat downs" (Such a cute term. Like calling kidnapping "forced rendition") for the duration. It wasn't because they'd ticked off people to the point of civil disobedience. It was because "we can't let the terrorists predict what we do." It's like Bill Cosby said "Riiiiight!".

I hear what you're saying though. The news folks love to latch on to a story and use it to rile people up. I've been to RIC and to Dulles (Washington D.C.) I can't recall if Dulles scans everyone but I know RIC scanned every last person unless you opted out the last two times I flew.

Dulles did have a fun wrinkle in their security. VIP's and folks with money were ushered into a shorter security line. Politicians and their lackey's are too good to live by the same laws the rest of us plebes have to abide by. When that preferential treatment ends I wonder if the laws will change?

If you want to get a full taste of "keeping fear alive" I've got some old Dateline reruns. I watch them when I feel safe and content. Keeps my edge sharp with paranoia and fear slanted news.

In my first Lemons race there was an Alfa team. Guys were engineers of some sort I later found out. At VIR last summer. I was really surprised they ran the whole race. Cool guys.

Strizzo wrote: In reply to alfadriver: just because its not being done right now, doesn't mean that they won't eventually be scanning everyone that goes through. the news isn't making that up, the TSA is planning on scanning or fondling everyone in the near future.

Sigh...

What you all miss is that reasonable discourse is the way to fix errors. When we cry foul and then let the media perpetuate that eronious "foul"- the fix if a problem tends to be worse than the precieved foul.

But if you all want to pretend the sky is falling, and that every single person will be filmed in the nude or be groped like a predator, you are the one wasting your energy.

The terrorism thread against Americans is negligible vs. many, many, many other preventable ways to die, but we all think spending billions on an illusion is ok, until we finally cry foul.

When I fly next time, I suspect that both locations will, again, lack the scanners, and that reasonable discourse over the issue will be lost in the crying foul.

In reply to alfadriver:

i'm not sure of the point you're trying to make here. you say that where you flew in/out of didn't have the scanners, or at least weren't using them. from this you state that people are over-reacting because the TSA isn't actually scanning everyone.

but - the TSA has made very clear that they are planning on rolling the scanners out to every airport in the US, and that they are planning to scan or grope everyone that walks through security at an airport eventually. we/the media is not making this stuff up. Janet Napolitano has even stated that we "need" scanners in bus and train stations in order to ever be completely safe from the evil-dooers.

on the one hand, you seem to be saying that its all not that big of a deal and that we should all just fall in line and submit to scan and/or groping as we're told, because its not that big of a sacrifice in the name of safety.

next, you say we have much bigger things to worry about that could get us just as dead than terrorism. but if terrorism isn't that big of a threat, then why is it necessary for everyone to submit to full body scans and/or intrusive pat downs?

the bottom line with the outcry is that, people don't feel that the supposed added security offered by submitting to full body scans or intrusive feel-ups is warranted, or even constitutional. then there is also the added risk of radiation exposure from the backscatter x-ray machines.

what i think will end up happening, is that after all the holiday traveling is over, TSA will do what they originally planned, have scanners in every airport, and be scanning everyone that goes through security. the people who are regular travelers, that travel every day or week for work, and have no alternative, will have to submit. because, like it or not, they have to do their job in order to put food on the table, and that requires air travel. in the end this whole argument will all fade into the distance just like "remember back in the day, when you didnt have to go through security to get to the gate, and people could see friends and family walk down the jetway?" and "remember back when you didn't have to have a boarding pass to get through security?" and "remember when you didn't have to get felt up by an underpaid high school dropout on a power trip just to get on a plane and go see your family in Boston?"