Amidst the nationwide uproar over the full-body scanners recently installed and implemented in 70 airports around the country, some have decided to take on the all-seeing eyes of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and organize a national “Opt-Out Day.” Two protesters, George Donnelly and James Babb, have even launched a website called wewontfly.com.The more I look at this issue the more convinced I am that the enhanced pat-down procedures now in place, which is little more than an organized government grope, was put into place to intimidate flyers into accepting the new machines. By making the pat-down so abhorrent flyers would be less likely to try and avoid the machines and would meekly submit to TSA authority.
But their efforts have been met with some harsh criticism. “A horde of paranoid zealots – techno libertarians, Tea Partiers, rabble-rousers, internet activists, and congressional demagogues – has decided to make it even worse,” a recent Slate article protested. “Rather than endure an electronic scan of your body at the security gate, they want you to ‘opt out’ and force the [TSA] to physically inspect you.”
“Ignore these imbeciles. Their plan would clog security lines and ruin your holiday for no good reason,” the writer firmly advised.
But in an interview with The Daily Caller, Donnelly said that he, and by his estimate hundreds of others, won’t be adding the TSA’s new approach to homeland security to their list of things to be thankful for this year. Instead, they will be exercising their right not to subject themselves to harmful radiation and virtual strip searches.
Donnelly told TheDC that he and Babb decided to launch the site and get behind organizing an Opt-Out Day after seeing videos of children being forced to go through the scans and pat downs.
“We saw video of kids being traumatized by this…and we both independently said we don’t want our kids to go through this. That’s what got us started,” said Donnelly.
Yet while many proponents of the protest view it as a healthy display of civil disobedience, others are responding with accusations that the only thing that will be accomplished is the creation of longer waiting lines and actual security threats.
Donnelly, however, said that just isn’t true.
“If a lot of people opt out, they’ll be in a separate line,” said Donnelly. “People willing to risk the scanner will have a shorter line so they’ll probably get through faster.”
He also said he has heard numerous anecdotal reports that when the opt-out line gets too long, TSA workers begin herding passengers through metal detectors to get things moving again. “I would not be surprised if it actually helps things go quicker tomorrow,” said Donnelly.
Exactly how many people will participate in the Opt-Out Day is hard to predict, but as the DC has pointed out, an increasing number of Americans are beginning to view the X-ray machines with a wary eye.
“I think it will show the TSA that security theater is not feasible,” he added. “They will have to go back to the drawing board and give us real security instead. “
We'll see if that works as people go through the major airports today.
And don't expect any terrorists to be thwarted today. They won't be flying, and if they wanted to score a big hit they wouldn't even have to get on a plane. Simply go to the security area with a bomb vest and get in line. Any kind of act like that would take out scores of Americans and there's nothing the TSA kabuki could do to stop it.
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1 comment:
Our Betters know what's best for us, so we should all shut up and do what they tell us to do.
They need to better explain (at interminal length) how all the unicorns and pixie dust will be good for us, and then we'll fall into line and march into the closed rooms.
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