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Look Ma! No clothes!
Looking at this news story about a couple of women refusing to go through a full-body scanner and being refused clearance to fly.
I cannot believe that the British are being so boneheaded. The screening system looks through clothing, revealing the body beneath, as well as any concealed items. Hide some explosives in your undies, and they will be picked up.
Well, that’s good, in theory, but if the bad guys know this, then won’t they go the logical next step and hide the explosives some place where they won’t be detected? After all, they want to blow up the plane, and personal comfort isn’t high on their long-term list of priorities, given that they don’t intend to have a long term.
So, full-body scanning easily circumvented.
But these expensive bits of kit are going to be increasingly used, replacing the existing metal-detecting gates. Travellers have to go into a chamber, stop, turn around, raise their arms, turn around and walk out while someone looks at their bodies through X-ray specs.
Now, I don’t think anyone is going to be aroused by my sagging middle-aged body, but I dare say that my wife and twenty-something daughter could provide some salacious entertainment for the security staff weary of inspecting carry on bags for nail scissors.
What really bugs me is that I’ve organised myself with a web plastic belt and metalfree shoes to march straight through the existing security checks, and now I’m going to have to do all this extra stuff, sealed away, while my laptop, phone, wallet etc is open and vulnerable on the conveyor belt.
I went through SFO in October, and they were randomly selecting people to go through the detector gate or full-body scanner depending on which was next available. I was directed into the scanner, and I flatly refused. I don’t want to encourage these things in any way.
They pulled me aside, patted me down, took some stuff out of my pockets. Lip balm, comb and a few similar non-metallic things. They ran those through the scanner, while I waited, looking at other passengers reaching over my unattended valuables on the conveyor belt to get their stuff.
If I refuse again in Heathrow, where I have to make two transits, am I going to be refused clearance to fly? Or will I, presumably, grit my teeth and pirouette in the observation chamber, grumbling to myself about the numbskullery of it all while some basterd nicks my laptop?
I got the following in an email from a friend.
"The ACLU may have a problem with this idea, however, it does solve a lot of potential problems and will require some technical details to be worked out, but:
Here's a solution to all the controversy over full-body scanners. Have a booth that you can step into that will not X-ray you, but instead will detonate any explosive device you have on you.
It would be a win-win for everyone.
Problem Solved!"
(I, too, am sick of over-zealous government paranoia treating every traveller like a potential terrorist. And I, too, will not go through the naked scanners).
no subject
Was it just my vivid imagination or did the guy in the photo accompanying the news story actually have a small hand gun strapped to the back of his waist?
Please remember to write here to tell your adoring fans exactly what happens when you go through Heathrow soon.
many issues
I agree that it may not make much difference and the scanners may be money wasted.
however as someone who sees partly unclothed bodies every day of his life all I can say is "get over the idea that the blokes/blokettes looking at the scanner are going to get off on looking at you"
and finally, just take a deep breath in and walk into the damn thing.
have a great trip
(written from seville....the dog shit capital of the world)
Re: many issues
there now, that's a bit better than "get over it" :)
Re: many issues
It might be a waste of time, people who'd like to do evil will find another way to do so and after about a week of seeing naked bodies, those checking on them will not be much interested in the average person. I guess if Heidi Klum and thelikes or some very obese person would turn up, that would be an interesting change for them, but all in all it should get boring.
There are two other things I wonder about.
1. when they were first introduced, the health risksof being scanned often came up and spokesmen for the commerce chambers asked for frequent rravellers to be excluded from this. How and in what way this is a health risk I don't know. Will it keep me from going through one of them? No.
2. Travelling on a plane has become so annoying with all the checking that I would check train possbilities where once I would not even think about taking the train instead.
Re: many issues
Ain't it the truth! The advertising doesn't mention the hassle and delays. Yoko mentions some of the problems confronting parents of young children. Added to the queues, the baggage carousels, the puzzling over public transport.
I like flying, I really do. But the before and after parts are a big negative.
It takes half an hour to fly to Sydney from Canberra, but with all the trouble and delays, it's pretty much worthwhile just getting in your car and driving there, three hours down the freeway.
Re: many issues
Re: many issues
As to the scanners, two points. First, if I were someone rotating through the various positions in a security checkpoint, I'd prefer to look through the x-ray specs at the jet set, rather than their baggage. I might not sit there in the private room with my hands busy, but I would visually enjoy at least the aesthetic proportions of the well-built.
Second, the feeling of unease and discomfort is going to be a common one amongst passengers, as demonstrated by the two women who preferred not to fly than to have strangers peering behind their burqas. While one surrenders a certain amount of freedom and responsibility to doctors and security guards, to be sure, medical staff are expected to regard one's nude self with detachment, while security guards having that degree of familiarity are doubtless exceeding expectations.
This is underscored by the certain knowledge that the expensive machines are going to be useless in uncovering bombs. It would have to be the most innocent of people who could not imagine a place or two out of sight of devices that can see through clothes.
Re: many issues
And, as already sufficiently stated, every single 'precaution' they make, is just another one to fill a hole they didn't know was there or ignored until it was too late. Terrorists will go where you do not expect them to go, it's in their nature.
I will not have anyone without a medical license or my personal permission look at my naked body. That is private, and I have the freedom to say NO.
Likewise, I will not travel to the USA currently, as my fingerprints, bankaccount details and whatnot will be shared with them, and its none of their business. It's not like it works alike when Americans visit the Netherlands.
I even refuse to get the cheaper personal public transport chip card, because I don't think it's anybody's business when/where/how I travel.
I refuse to have my medical records stored in some central database.
Just a few examples which on their own seem to not have so much to do with this topic, but is example after example after example of how my government, and moreover, that of the USA is edging in on my personal life.
And I don't like it. At all.
no subject
1) Announce to two or three people on the way in that we are carrying baby foods.
2) Remove our coats, belts, shoes and put them in a tray. Do likewise with electronics.
2a) Remove the swords, bombs, bullets, livestock and small bottles of water, and place in the bins provided.
3) Remove Lilly from the buggy. Put the buggy through the scanner.
4) Walk through the scan gate.
5) Get Lilly to walk through the scan gate.
6) Be frisked down by the butch lady, have Lilly patted down by the butch lady.
7) Get back most of the stuff and try to reassemble a buggy, placate a crying child, get dressed and put your shoes on.
8) Get pulled aside re, the baby food.
9) Have to eat and drink some of the baby food.
10) Finally be allowed to proceed.
In fact, I would go into the fecking scanner and do the cha-cha-cha if it meant avoiding the above fiasco. I couldn't give a fiddlers buck if they all stood around looking at my naked body as long as they did it QUICKLY and let me get on the damn plane.
no subject
I knew it! You're the one who stops the queues for ages.
Woman, please, for once be reasonable and leave your weapons and ammo at home. srollseyes
no subject
Which raises another point. One could hide any number of weapons amongst the tubes and wheels, catches and struts of a baby buggy. It's essentially pointless. If a knife or two gets hidden inside, no casual scan will pick up anything untoward.
And they make you eat and drink Lilly's food and drink? How ridiculous. If someone were a suicide bomber willing to sacrifice self and child, they would drink down liquid explosive and smile at the gullible.
Commiserations to you and Lilly for having to go through this crap on every flight. Travelling with kids is stress enough without adding more.
no subject
It's been eons since I flew, but don't they routinely ask you if your luggage has been out of your sight at any time since you packed it? "Um, yes, it has. When you made me stand in this bloody Xray machine!" Privacy issues aside, for that reason alone, I would make them pat me down. I'm not leaving my stuff sitting anywhere out of my sight, even if it is with minimum wage airport security goons.