I plan to opt out for health reasons. I don't object to a pat-down. I'm not sure what to tell you. You seem to object to ionizing radiation of young people -- you mention a child -- and I absolutely agree. Heck, I'm not all that young, and I'm still not ready to say, "OK, I'm dead in 30 years anyway, so I don't care if you expose me to extra ionizing radiation." However, you also object to a pat-down. May I ask what type of search you DON'T object to? My feeling is that we can best protect our health and our ability to fly if we offer a reasonable alternative to the ionizing radiation. I don't see a health problem with a pat-down done by a professional person. My two cents only.
Originally Posted by
NationalOptOutDay
Folks,
The time for action has come!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 is NATIONAL OPT-OUT DAY!
Yes, it's short notice, but this is one of the busiest travel days of the year, thus opting out that day will have maximum impact. It is time for all citizens to stand up to government-approved molestation and naked body scans!
If you are traveling that day, or know of others who are, please OPT-OUT!!
Spread the word:
http://www.optoutday.com/
Now for my brief introduction: I've been lurking here a bit. I found my way here after reading TSA groping stories. I am completely outraged about this practice, but don't think that a single citizen can have much impact. If we come together in protest on a single day, one of the busiest of the year in the airports, perhaps that can be the start of change.
I travel quite a bit for work. I haven't yet traveled since the new enhanced pat downs have started, but fully expect to get my "resistance" felt in a couple of weeks on my next trip. But because of their naked scanners and their new pat downs, I refuse to let my family fly. I will NOT explain to my child why a guy with a uniform can feel him up! I feel so bad for those who have had to go through this. I hope that organizing National Opt-Out Day can somehow help!
Swag, Rosa Parks was a wonderful person, but most of us are not wonderful persons. Me, I'm a selfish human being and I'm not traveling to fight for a cause. Opting for a pat-down helps your health today. Do you really want to be exposed to ionizing radiation performed by non-medical personnel? Trust me. You don't. A pat-down makes you grumpy. The ionizing radiation potentially gives you cancer. There is no safe level of exposure to ionizing radiation. None. You should only deliberately expose yourself to ionizing radiation if you must for a serious health reason, determined by someone who has been to medical school, not by a glorified security guard. Hmm. Grumpy or cancer, cancer or grumpy. It's pretty easy for me to make that decision.
Originally Posted by
swag
T
I guess I'm just not sure how opting for a pat-down helps the cause. If enough do it to cause a real backlog, just means they and/or the folks behind them will miss their flights. The TSA frontline folks will still work their shift and then go home. And news of a one-day uptick in opt-opt numbers likely will never reach the decision makers.
I am flying on the 24th, and departing from an airport which has both NoS checkpoints and WTMD checkpoints. I plan to use the latter.