for those of you planning to travel for thanksgiving, expect more-than-usual holiday back-ups at the airport. this coming wednesday is being dubbed "national opt-out day," where flyers who support the TSA protest plan to opt out of going through those privacy-invading, backscatter-radiation-producing, cancer-inducing, porno screeners. by opting out of the security screening, they are forcing themselves to be put through an even more invasive full-body pat-down, where their private parts will be groped. these body searches are apparently quite aggressive, leaving hardly anything untouched, and many flyers who have already gone through them have stated that they felt they were being sexually harrassed and assaulted.
while i understand that the TSA and government are implementing these new security tactics to help prevent and stop terroristic acts, what about the dignity and health of people? no one wants to be groped by some stranger or subject themselves to cancer-inducing radiation coming from those porno-screeners.
i, for one, have had to go through the x-ray full-body screener once before, and i was not a happy camper at all [because i was aware of the nature of these screeners after reading an article from CNN]. i felt violated and hated the idea that some stranger could virtually see me "naked." these pat-downs seem worse, especially if the TSA worker does it in a very inappropriate and aggressive way. no thanks.
so, what's my opinion of this TSA protest?? i don't think national opt-out day is going to be such a huge deal because most travelers will just want to get out of the security lines and to their final destination quickly, but this battle against flyers and the TSA will surely continue. i understand those who are going to be protesting and making a scene because these searches and screenings are an invasion of privacy and goes against the constitution. the fourth amendment states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
on the other hand, i understand that the use of these security approaches are implemented for safety reasons, and they could potentially catch things that aren't normally caught by the metal detectors. i believe that full-body searches and the use of the x-ray full-body screens could be a good thing but when specifically put to use for people who set off the alarms or have something in their carry-on bags that isn't allowed.
what are your opinions??
The 4th amendment doesn't really apply to this because you are using a private service. Flying isn't a right, if it was, then the 4th amendment would matter. But the fact is that flying is a privilege provided by private companies, and you have to go through whatever process they deem necessary to partake in that privilege. I do, however, completely understand peoples apprehensions and opposition to these searches and stuff. However, the facts are still facts. Plus, I feel safer with this screenings anyway. If they were restricted to "suspicious" people, profiling complaints would be sure to follow. The way it is now, everyone is treated the same.
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