Visible full-body scans going too far just to go on an airplane

If you ask me, it borders on getting too perverted. Seriously. I'm sure there are some TSA employee's in their offices, or someplace in the back offices going, "snicker-snicker" at the various female/male photos that are registered or stored. This is not just stupid, its twisted thinking on the part of the TSA. At least this serves as a heads up for me. I'm going to China after the election.

Since the attacks of 9/11 there have been numerous measures taken to increase security in aviation. These measures have significantly increased the inconvenience of airline travel. The need for this increased security is based on the government's story of the 9/11 attacks. That story is not true. When I say the government's 9/11 story, I mean the story that: Although there were some small clues that an attack might occur, the hijackers kept a very low profile. Our intelligence agencies didn't have modern computers that were linked to each other, & our normal methods of intelligence collection & law enforcement within the limitations of constitutional guarantees didn't allow us to stop the attacks. Therefore, we needed to drastically increase the authority of the executive branch, increase funding for intelligence, reorganize the CIA, place various restrictions on aviation, etc. That story is not true. The FBI knew the names of two of the hijackers prior to 9/11. Their names were on a CIA watch list. An FBI agent in Florida was repeatedly refused permission to apprehend the hijackers. His manager was not reprimanded or fired. Prior to 9/11 an FBI agent in Arizona wrote a memo stating that a number of people from the middle east WITH KNOWN TERRORIST CONNECTIONS were taking flying lessons in Arizona. His memo was ignored. Moussaoui, the so called 20th hijacker, wanted to learn how to fly airplanes without learning how to takeoff & land. His flight instructor turned him into the Minneapolis FBI. Agents did a computer search & found that Moussaoui was on a French government list of suspected terrorists. In Moussaoui's trial an FBI agent testified that he was turned down SEVENTY times by FBI management in his attempts to get a search warrant for Moussaoui. The manager that turned down the requests is the same person who ignored the memo about terrorists taking flying lessons in Arizona. That manager was not fired or reprimanded, he was given a promotion after 9/11, when the government knew what he had done prior to 9/11. Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, U.S. Army Reserve, a former member of the Able Danger data mining program that targeted Al Qaeda’s global structure, testified before the House Armed Services Committee 2/15/06 regarding the Able Danger project, "... basic law enforcement investigative techniques, with 21st Century data mining and analytical tools ... resulted in the establishment of a new form of intelligence collection – and the identification of Mohammed Atta and several other of the 9-11 terrorists as having links to Al Qaeda leadership a full year in advance of the attacks. ..” The Able Danger group collected an immense amount of data on Mohammed Atta, 2.5 terabytes, prior to 9/11. They were ordered to destroy the data prior to 9/11. People in charge of ordering the data destroyed were not able to give any good reason for doing so in congressional testimony. After hearing testimony from the Able Danger staff, Republican Congressman, Curt Weldon, made a speech on the floor of Congress in which he said, "I am not a conspiracy theorist, but there is something desperately wrong, Mr. Speaker. There is something outrageous at work here. This is not a third-rate burglary of a political campaign headquarters. This involved what is right now the covering up of information that led to the deaths of 3,000 people, changed the course of history, led to the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, and has disrupted our country, our economy and people's lives." George Tenet & Coffer Black of the CIA requested an emergency meeting with Condoleeza Rice prior to 9/11 to warn her of a major impending terrorist attack. Her response was to do nothing. Please note, I am not talking about a conspiracy theory. I am talking about incompetence facts. The above incidents show that the government's story of 9/11 is not true. Our normal methods of intelligence gathering & law enforcement within the limitations of constitutional guarantees would have worked just fine had government managers not actively stood in the way of various FBI agents & military inteligence officers doing their jobs. When asked why he would abolish the Department of Homeland Security, given what happened on 9/11, Republican Congressman & Presidential Candidate, Ron Paul, said that prior to 9/11, the government was already spending 40 billion dollars a year on counter terrorism & that we didn't need new government agencies or restrictions American citizens, we needed intelligent people running the agencies we already had. He also has called for a new & independent investigation of the 9/11 attacks. Before placing anymore security restrictions on aviation there should a new investigation of the 9/11 attacks. Numerous former CIA, FBI, & DEA agents, former generals & military intelligence officers, & other high level government officials have called for a new truly independent investigation of the events leading up to the 9/11 attacks. To read the opinions of these people go to: www.patriotsquestion911.com R. Williams

Here's another commentary on the issue: http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/072208b.html

It won't be very long before you won't be able to afford to fly. The price of passenger travel will increase with the price of fuel, which is to say exponentially. This will be especially true once it is incontrovertibly demonstrated by the Saudis' inability to increase production-- not their unwillingness to do so but their inability-- that we have passed peak of oil production and thus all industrial functions which rely solely upon the availability of cheap oil will thus inevitably become prohibitively expensive. And consumer air travel is one of those functions. It can't be powered by the sun or the wind or coal or steam or even nuclear. No, it will just become a relic of a glorious past. And nothing Obama or anyone else can do is going to bring it back. Anyhow, as the economy collapses into a black hole from which it will likely never recover, most Americans will be so paralyzed by poverty or if they're lucky, so consumed by hard physical toil at rebuilding some fraction of the crumbling infrastructure in one of the thousands of make-work projects a new government will be forced to undertake that they won't have the time or luxury of even thinking about spending their worthless script on something as unnecessary as air travel. So stop worrying. See you dancin' in the ruins...

I have made FOUR airline trips so far this year and in each case, COMING and GOING, I have been subjected to the pat-down,explosives test and metal screening wand. Either I'm on the "no-fly" list or TSA is annoyed by the SMALL Ace bandage on my knee, which is ALL elastic and no metal. I'm also EXTREMELY careful to make sure I have no metal on my person ANYWHERE. That's why I wear a sports bra when flying. Yet, I consistently keep getting pulled aside. I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO FLY ANYWHERE AGAIN. Now they want to add insult to injury with nude x-rays! I have told my friends and family, who live on the east coast, that if anyone dies, gets married or is having a family reunion I will send flowers, a gift and my regrets for not attending. It's people who feel like I do and "shop with their feet" who will bring the airlines down to their knees!

We did a lot of traveling by air in the last 10 years, much of it international. After 9/11, flying became progressively more and more unpleasant, from being fun to the last time I flew being almost intolerable. Not only because of security, but also the airlines making seats too small, planes too full, no food, have to purchase water in order to be able to carry it on, few toilets, can't get out to go to them anyway because the plane is packed and the seats so close together even people like me who are 5'2" are uncomfortable, can't stand up, stretch our legs. They should knock us out for the duration! That is the primary reason we bought a motorhome and decided to see America by motorhome. I would say see America and Canada, but I'm sorry, Canada, I don't want to cross the border any more and deal with these people. We were right at the Canadadian border last month. We were at the foot of the bridge to Campobello island but we asked and people said there is immigration there now. We initially wanted to go to Nova Scotia, but decided to see the Maine coast instead just to not have the hassle. It's all very very sad. You can never be completely safe. When will we draw the line and say enough is enough. Or is it all training to make everyone up to the very rich (who can afford their own planes) very very very obedient... Judy

This may provide a minor increase in security, but a volunteer sky marshal program would do much more. (This could be impemented in days, and could have been in August 2001.) This is part of a plan to desensitize the public to Bog Brother.

Recently flew with my mom to visit my dying brother. She's 88 and can barely walk, so was in a wheelchair provided by the airport. She didn't feel up to walking through the metal detector, so they did a full-body pat-down of her, in front of everybody in the security area. She didn't get upset, but I was pissed off bigtime. Sure, they showed the're not racially profiling (she's pasty white), but this seems to go way beyond reason. (Have there been any terrorism attempts by old people in wheelchairs to justify such an invasion of privacy???) I'm sick of the so-called security people bossing people around like we're criminals being booked, or draftees being processed. And the full-body scan goes way too far for me to accept. And what is with putting my little bottles of hand gel in a little baggie and then handing it back to me?? WTF is that supposed to accomplish???? I only fly to go back once a year to visit my folks. They're too far away to easily drive or take a bus, but maybe I'll have to rethink that if this kind of b.s. keeps up. And when they are gone, that's it for me. No more commercial airlines trips as long as this ridiculous nonsense keeps up.

I know, I am fortunate to say: I don't have to fly. Until 2005, when my mom was still alive, I flew to Europe at least once a year, to be with my mother. I would let the bastards humiliate me in any and all ways, only to spend some time with my mother. If it prolonged her life, I would not only agree on full body scan. I would willingly undress and walk through the metal detector buck naked.

As my mom died, I have no reason to travel by air anymore. Screw them and their "security" measures. Within United States, my car will take me anywhere I need to go. Outside Northern American continent, I would probably drive to Mexico or Canada and fly out of there, using airlines anything but U.S. based. I heard they're less hysterical and more practical about safety.

likewise, anything that can be examined electronically will fair game for surveillance -- even away from the airport, as justified by the new "FISA" law.

I resent being treated like a piece of cattle. I walk with a cane, having had a serious traffic accident. I have a plate and nails all along the femur. The security people seem to take great pleasure at being obnoxious. The dont pat me they grab litteraly my breasts, shoes off asking me to walk without my stick and being very mad when I say I cant. My phantasy `? One day going through the security gates completely nude with just a mink coat on!

The answer is don't fly. How long would airlines last if people who object to full body scans stopped flying? As it is, many people refuse to travel via air in response to the hassles it entails, that and no longer willing to contribute to spewing out jet fumes.

I drew the line at taking off my shoes and will probably not fly again. isn't it funny how taser bracelets, nude scans, and body pat downs make taking off your shoes seem OK? Where is the outrage? The TSA is a bogus operation and Homeland Security is run by idiots.