<p>“I do wonder how those of you who say that Americans should be subjected to any and all indignities”</p>
<p>@europa. I just don’t think it’s an indignity. Like I said, to me it’s no big deal. I suffer much more indignity on a daily basis from rude people than I do from the polite TSA folks. I suspect if I ever had a “bad” pat-down, I’d be singing a different story. But, in the 20 plus times I’ve been selected for more thorough “inspection” at multiple airports around the country, it’s never been an indignity.</p>
<p>^I do not care about indignities. X-rays are harmful, even teeth x-rays are harmful and they are nowhere near full body exposure. X-rays are causing cancer, despite of all propaganda out there that says no. I guess they want to kill us off to have less of us under government run health care. In addition, procedures are very ineffective. The only procedure with known history of effectiveness is behaviour profiling that is used in Israel. Since our government will not use profiling, it uses ineffective and dangerous procedure to cover its b–t for law suits. One more procedure closer to tyranny, nothing is new, all samo, samo.</p>
<p>Wow, I cannot believe anyone would think it’s not an indignity to have to expose an ostomy bag in front of non-medical personnel in the privacy of a doctor’s office. Or even the poor woman with a faux breast, though as I said breast cancer survivors aren’t mocked as much as ostomates.</p>
<p>jym, I suspect I’m being mocked for giving my stats (that’s OK, really). But do forgive me for my excessive sensitivity about being perceived as having a “disgusting” body because of the thing that happened to me years ago.</p>
<p>Sorry to continue to avoiding work this morning, but I do wish I could hear what everyone thought of the truly significant stats that I quoted earlier…the comparative probabilities of dying in a terrorist attack vs. driving, etc.? Because cost-benefit analysis is what’s at the heart of this issue.</p>
<p>Keile, first of all - just because past procedures did not run afoul of the 4th amendment doesn’t mean that nothing the agency does in the future will. Even those court cases you cited state that explicitly - Here’s a quote from US v Aukai:</p>
<p>Although the constitutionality of airport screening
searches is not dependent on consent, the scope of such
searches is not limitless. A particular airport security screening
search is constitutionally reasonable provided that it “is no
more extensive nor intensive than necessary, in the light of
current technology, to detect the presence of weapons or
explosives [ ] [and] that it is confined in good faith to that
purpose.”</p>
<p>No one perceives that you have a “disgusting” body due to your medical issues. In fact, that’s the whole freakin’ point. The TSA people are people doing their jobs; they aren’t interested in YOUR body, any more than the mammogram technician is interested in YOUR breasts. It may be that IN YOUR MIND they are thinking / poking / whispering “ew, what is that, oh yucky, oh ick” but to them, it’s just another body that they have to pat down in the course of doing their job. And they see it all. That’s it. Just because your mind perceives it differently doesn’t make it truth.</p>
<p>As someone who flies a lot, whether I get by via the regular screening, whether I wind up getting wanded (and how is that possibly “undignified”) or patted down, or whether my carry-on bags get pulled aside for special screening / hand-search falls under the category of stuff that’s so trivial I forget about it 5 minutes after it occurs. Don’t people have other things on their minds when they are traveling? I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve been wanded or patted down – because it’s such a NON-ISSUE.</p>
<p>Europa, I agree with you. Funny how cost-benefit analysis is the norm in most situations, but the paranoia about terrorism prevents sane considerations of the impact of security procedures. As you point out, there are always risks in life, and I prefer not to be a slave to my fears. Like you, I wonder how these folks leave their homes–although many serious accidents occur at home, and I believe most people die in bed–maybe we’d better not get in bed tonight?</p>
<p>I’m hoping that some sanity returns soon. If we had more TSA agents trained to watch behavior instead of these random privacy intrusions, we’d all be better off, imo.</p>
<p>Quote: And because your mind perceives this as making you safer, doesn’t mean it is. </p>
<p>Europa - yes, I think the cost-benefit analysis is something that should be discussed. But that conversation is lost due to the emotional discussion about the “indignities” of TSA screening. In my mind, we shouldn’t give up on screening because of such "intrusions’ on our privacy (again,to me, it’s no big deal and I have much more experience in such matters that most) but because we decide the expense of airport screening is not worth the small benefit. I myself like to know my airplane is about as bomb proof or gun proof as we can make it. But, we shouldn’t make national policy due to my likes.</p>
<p>europa,
Not mocking at all- apologies if you thought that. I am jealous!! You should be proud of your figure and I was just making a joke about stats.</p>
<p>GTalum, not everyone’s experience is as nice as yours. There is a huge inconsistency in the styles of these patdowns, and there are no clear guidlines of what is “over the line” - even the TSA chief admitted that anything goes in his recent CNN interview. Children, people wih medical issues, people who have been traumatized by a violent rape, victims of sexual abuses might be traumatized even by a “gentle” patdown.</p>
<p>HIMom, I was thinking the same about your state. I was reading some reports that hotel occupancy in HI has been going up slightly, but any disruption in tourist traffic can spell more economy troubles for HI.</p>
<p>europa,
I am confused. I thought it was silpat who posted about having had disfigurement from some health issue, not you My comments to you were compliments, btw!!</p>
My comments to you were compliments, btw!!</p>