June 26, 2003

Another Reason to Never Fly Anywhere Ever Again


"It does basically make you look fat and naked, but you see all this stuff." - Susan Hallowell (above), Director of TSA's Security Laboratory.

More than just a pat-down, the new airport body scan goes the final step in making flying one of the most dubious experiences of our age. In New airport scans could expose travelers we learn that we will soon be expected to expose ourselves to strangers if we wish to enjoy all the pleasures of air travel.

Susan Hallowell (above) took one for the Transportion Security team as she allowed herself to be scanned and the image to be published world wide.

"She stepped into a metal booth that bounced X-rays off her skin to produce a black-and-white image that revealed enough to produce a world-class blush.

"Her dark skirt and blazer disappeared on the monitor, where she showed up naked -- except for the gun and bomb she had hid under her outfit."


Ah, yes, those guns and bombs we all strap on when heading out to the airport.

Susan allowed that it also made her look "fat and naked, but you see all this stuff." Looking fat and naked is going to be a big hit with Americans, you can be sure.

I don't know about you, but looking at Susan, I also note she looks bald, with some sort of strange blemish on her shoulder and a body that won't be winning any Miss Teenage America pagents soon.

Of course, we won't be doing any real, sensible profiling anytime soon. No. We will all be expected to just have our bodies revealed to all. And recorded too. There's no way this gizmo is going to be put into airports without a recording device attached.

My only prayer is that, if this final insult is installed it will, by itself, put an end to American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and all other airlines operating in the United States when everyone in the country decides to just stay out of the naked skies.

Posted by Vanderleun at June 26, 2003 10:11 AM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

Seriously now, has anyone come up with the "profile" of those who will have to do the profiling? As I am not an American these little things seem terribly confusing when I read those august journals of "diversity" and get the idea that "profiling" is something bad and perverted.
Then again from the web and others it appears that a lot of current "profilers" are illegals and criminals in the States. Does this add to the diversity required?
In the interests of of all the lives at stake let's us pray that the profiler's profile includes the qualities of sixth sense and subtlety!

Posted by: Barry at June 29, 2003 7:22 AM

I think that since we as the public are having to eventually go through this machine at all airports if we want to fly in the future should demand one thing. All the members of the Board of Directors and scientists/technicians who invented and endorse this product should be made to have their image scanned by 'their' machine and that these images be posted at every airport where 'their' machines reside. Posting those images on the machine will at least allow the public to know that these individuals believe so much in 'their' machine that they should be made to be scanned and their images displayed with relevant names attached if they in fact do believe in 'their' machines. Anything less should be a wake up call for all free thinking men and woman to fight this and every other hair-brained, half-witted and down right invasion of privacy schemes that the government comes up with. By hook or by crook let's stand up to these tyrants and communists and use every method and tactic to fight this and all freedom-hating individuals in government or private industry.

Posted by: James at March 5, 2007 2:18 PM

Whats so bad about taking a scan...I will/would be willing to take one...if it makes the flight safer what do we have to hide folks...I bet even our esteemed congress men would and at least one coach for the detroit lions.

Posted by: Larry H at March 5, 2007 2:51 PM

wow to think, we will be trusting a tsa offical with operating the scanners. These are the same people who open up your luggages and all of a sudden half of your personal belonging disappears (tsa and airport baggage employees)

Posted by: abd at March 5, 2007 10:36 PM

what does it matter.. its no different than someone seeing you in a hockey dressing room or a doctor seeing a patient...just be thankful these people arent rooting around your body like the doctor does. These devices could save your life just as a regular check up does..without the "turn your head and cough" technique

Posted by: Steve at March 6, 2007 12:41 AM

For those of you who think this technology is some sort of civil liberties disaster, just don't fly. I'm sure our founding fathers would have little issue with keeping the country's citizens safe under the circumstances we now live. If only they had known that 3,000 Americans would be killed when a jetliner smashed into the twin towers (um...no flight in 1700's or skyscrapers for that matter), they could have written these protections into the constitution from the start. How silly of them not to know all of the things that would change in the world. This opinion brought to you by a 13 year USMC veteran.

Posted by: Jeff at March 6, 2007 1:33 AM

The purpose of government is to govern. Given time, it will seek to regulate every aspect of human existance. In the history of man, no government has ever given up any power unless it has been wrested from it. Slippery slope? Frog in the pot of water? Nothing sinster...just the inevitable progress of government. "Democracy must be occasionally cleansed in the blood of revolution." Not my quote.

Posted by: Bill Mcnew at March 7, 2007 6:06 AM

Response to Jeff: a good test of the utility of these devices would be this: would these scanners have prevented the disasters of 9/11?

Posted by: Mark Smith at April 17, 2009 9:00 PM

Response to Jeff: a good test of the utility of these devices would be this: would these scanners have prevented the disasters of 9/11?

Posted by: Mark Smith at April 17, 2009 9:00 PM

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both - Benjamin Franklin

Posted by: Drewid at March 5, 2010 10:49 PM