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TSA Procedures
Nov. 26th, 2010 11:45 amI am not really distressed that polls show roughly two-thirds of US citizens aren't particularly bothered by the new TSA procedures. I am distressed by the fact that many of those interviewed seem to regard any protest of the government's actions as borderline treason, or perhaps just wimpishness. Folks, if a third of the population objects to something, maybe you should take a closer look.
Even if you're willing to "put up with it" why won't you protest on behalf of those being victimized by this system?
A good example:
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/24/menstruating-woman-s.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29
You don't even have to object to the potential radiation hazard; just be a menstruating woman, or a man with a bladder problem. However, there is plenty about these scanners which is objectionable. The X-ray machines are not certified, in violation of federal regulations. The people running them are not certified X-ray technicians, as require by federal regulation. The TSA is violating the laws of the United States on multiple counts with these devices. Since they dump their entire energy into a shallow layer of skin, there is a significant melanoma risk. This has been testified by experts in the medical effects of radiation. This is why pilots and flight attendants are allowed to bypass the machines. A single X-ray photon in the right place can turn a cell cancerous.
I have read that the TSA is preventing the people who run the machines from wearing film-strip badges to measure their own X-ray exposure, even when they buy their own.
Worst of all, security experts say none of this significantly improves airline security. Terrorists have already used bomb-smuggling methods which neither the scanners nor the fondling will detect.
The TSA is one of the youngest federal agencies, but they have already become a mindless bureaucracy whose primary purpose is increasing their budget and their authority. They consider "it's policy" to be sufficient justification for any act, and any criticism to be an attack, to be responded to in force.
Even if you're willing to "put up with it" why won't you protest on behalf of those being victimized by this system?
A good example:
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/24/menstruating-woman-s.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29
You don't even have to object to the potential radiation hazard; just be a menstruating woman, or a man with a bladder problem. However, there is plenty about these scanners which is objectionable. The X-ray machines are not certified, in violation of federal regulations. The people running them are not certified X-ray technicians, as require by federal regulation. The TSA is violating the laws of the United States on multiple counts with these devices. Since they dump their entire energy into a shallow layer of skin, there is a significant melanoma risk. This has been testified by experts in the medical effects of radiation. This is why pilots and flight attendants are allowed to bypass the machines. A single X-ray photon in the right place can turn a cell cancerous.
I have read that the TSA is preventing the people who run the machines from wearing film-strip badges to measure their own X-ray exposure, even when they buy their own.
Worst of all, security experts say none of this significantly improves airline security. Terrorists have already used bomb-smuggling methods which neither the scanners nor the fondling will detect.
The TSA is one of the youngest federal agencies, but they have already become a mindless bureaucracy whose primary purpose is increasing their budget and their authority. They consider "it's policy" to be sufficient justification for any act, and any criticism to be an attack, to be responded to in force.
