Today New Jersey 'Opts Out' of Scanners and 'Groping'

[Matariki]

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/11/17/new-jersey-legislature-says-no-to-tsa-porn-scanners-and-gropes/


As Robert Cruickshank said, this is an important “teaching moment” on the importance of civil liberties:

For nine years Americans have gone along with abrogations of their rights and invasions of their privacy in the name of security. This has not been isolated, but is part of a broader trend of undermining basic rights and legal procedures in the name of anti-terrorism. Whether it’s waterboarding of terrorist suspects, indefinite detentions at Guantanamo Bay, or government spying on peaceful protestors, the basic philosophy has been that rights are secondary to security. As the TSA agent told Tyner, “you gave up a lot of rights when you bought your ticket.”

It’s the TSA who should be investigated here, not John Tyner. As Robert says, “no government agency should have the right to sexually assault a member of the public; our 4th Amendment rights matter deeply.”

[secondwind]

1. Great. So now the terrorists will be flying into and out of Newark, I imagine?

[Lucian]

2. Sarcasm?

I hope so.

[Posteritatis]

10. Because an extra layer of baggage handling is what's keeping us all safe, right? (nt)

[spin]

11. The scanners and the intimate pat downs...

will not detect explosives in body cavities or in breast implants. In fact they might not even catch another underpants bomber.

2. They won’t actually catch that many threats. According to a spokesperson for QinetiQ, another body scanner manufacturer, airport body scanners would be “unlikely” to detect many of the explosive devices used by terrorist groups . QinetiQ said the technology probably wouldn’t have detected the Christmas day underwear bomb. Neither would the scanners have caught the explosives from the 2006 airliner liquid bomb plot, nor the explosives used in the 2005 London Tube train bombing. The body scanners aren’t very useful for detecting liquids and plastics and can only help spotlight irregularities under a person’s clothes, said the spokesperson. Singling out every irregularity for further screening will place a heavy burden on airport security (read: bring a pillow with you to the airport).
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/01/06/5-reasons-body-scanners-might-not-solve-our-terrorism-problem/

The scanners will make big bucks for the companies that make them. And they WILL increase our acceptance of government intrusion into our lives.

[DainBramaged]

17. You cannot be serious stating that?

Amazing how people don't think.

:eyes:

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Security experts are laughing at us, not with us

Joke is on the sheep...

[Winterblues]

22. Are you so truly frightened to death that you agree with TSA

America ..."Home of the Brave" the biggest joke to survive the decade..

[Warren Stupidity]

25. yes, yes of course, they are flying there now

wow. Triple vente no foam stupid today!

[GiordanoBruno]

3. "Enough is Enough"

These leaders are true Patriots and Heroes.

Where is the California Legislature on this?

[Matariki]

5. It kind of makes me sick that Republicans seem to be leading on this

At least in New Jersey.

[onecent]

8. I don't care who leads this one...about time someone spoke

up, republican OR democrat OR independent.

[Matariki]

12. No, I agree with you. I'm glad it's a non paritsan issue.

But it's such a no-brainer politically, I'd like to see the Democrats step up to the plate. As it is, the Republican base is blaming Obama. And Democrat Janet 'Big Sis' (as they call her) Nepolitano.

[lise]

13. I know what you mean...

here's another one, from this morning's hearing on the Hill. FWIW, I think this guy (Duncan, R. TN) nails it when he says this is basically just a $$$ grab for some special interests:

http://duncan.house.gov/2010/11/duncan-blasts-tsa-pat-downs-body-scanners.shtml




Duncan Blasts TSA Pat-Downs, Body Scanners

November 17, 2010 11:01 AM

VIDEO

WASHINGTON – Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) blasted the Transportation Security Administration Wednesday during a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives for invasive "pat-downs" of U.S. citizens and the role lucrative government contracts played in the use of body scanning machines at airport checkpoints.

Duncan, former Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee and the current top Republican on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, said: "Unfortunately, for the traveling public, big brother never makes a mistake, so I am not surprised they are trying to defend the purchase of these scanners."

The text of Rep. Duncan’s speech is copied below:

"Mr. Speaker:

A nationwide revolt is developing over the body scanners at the airports, and it should.

Hundreds of thousands of frequent fliers who fly each week are upset about getting these frequent doses of radiation.

Parents are upset about being forced to have their children radiated or being touched inappropriately by an unrelated adult.

There is already plenty of security at the airport, but now we are going to spend up to $300 million to install 1,000 scanners.

This is much more about money than it is about security.

The former Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, represents Rapiscan, the company which is selling these scanners to his former department.

Far too many federal contracts are sweetheart, insider deals.

Companies hire former high ranking federal officials, and then magically, those companies get hugely profitable federal contracts.

The American people should not have to choose between having full-body radiation or a very embarrassing, intrusive pat-down every time they fly, as if they were criminals.

We need a little more balance and common sense on this."

[Matariki]

15. Well said on Mr. Duncan's part. And John Pistole pretty much just gave everyone the finger.

Glad Congress had a hearing, but the result - as one would expect. Theater. Looks like they care, but no change.

>> "If you are asking me, am I going to change my policies? No," Pistole told the committee.

Suddenly the Republicans are for privacy and constitutional rights? They laid the groundwork for this.

[lise]

16. unfortunately,

we still have too many Congresscritters in power who voted FOR the Patriot Act, on both sides of the aisle.

It wasn't "The Republicans" per se, who were responsible for the Patriot Act, it was every single Congressperson who voted "Yea" on the thing. And I'm pretty sure that was nearly every Dem rep., too- many of whom still report to work on the Hill. And were just voted back in for another term last week.

aargh....

[name not needed]

19. I'm pretty sure this is a bipartisan effort.

By which I mean actual bipartisanship, as opposed to the corporate grabassing we see in Congress.

[Le Taz Hot]

26. Isn't THAT a good question.

Anyone Californians out there with a Democratic representative? I'm surrounded by Republicans/Party Plants.

[leftstreet]

4. ...so will they contract out security services to private interests?

:shrug:

[siligut]

6. So many places in China do a pat down and x-ray/search of bags

But they are professional and gentle and efficient. I was searched in Canada by a woman who seemed to just want to show me she could.

[Matariki]

14. Oh God, I swear, Canada is even worse. Or maybe they just hate Americans.

I had an entire notebook read by an especially unpleasant border guard. And it really had that feeling of 'just because she could'.

[siligut]

18. Read your notebook?

That is a real invasion of privacy. In Amsterdam, I was taken into a small room, pat down and had a metal detector run over my body. What actually got me though was how the agent came out holding her breasts up with a disgusted look to indicate I had an underwire bra on, just very tacky.

[Matariki]

20. Indeed it was. Also looked through a book of my painting I was carrying.

Asked weird questions about them. I think Canada has some strict laws about nudity in art or something. I don't know. Hope she had fun reading my grocery lists, because that's all that was really in there.

I also had an early model PDA (this happened a while ago). I was amused to watch her sort of examine it in the same manner as the apes did the monolith in 2001 ;-)

[cloudbase]

7. Just grandstanding.

State legislators can't do squat about it.

[GiordanoBruno]

9. They can arrest John Pistole

[Angry Dragon]

23. There is nothing stopping someone from carring a bomb

into the terminal and leaving it before one even gets to the ticket counters
let alone security check points.

I was in MacCarran airport and thinking that there are so many shops there before check
points where it would be so easy. Just saying

[Zanzobar]

24. My guess: Snookie and the gang opt out

Letta guido getta grope!