Originally Posted by
Wally Bird
The point is that explosives detection was the justification or rationale* for whole-body scanners. Which is not the same thing as a reason (as in reasonable).
Since the dictionary uses "reason" as a synonym for "rationale" I'm having a hard time understanding the distinction you're trying to draw.
ra·tion·ale/ˌraSHəˈnal/
Noun:
A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or a particular belief
The definitions of reason and reasonable are not related.
They do not detect explosives either.
The AIT scanners can discover or identify the presence or existence of explosives which is the definition of "detect"
de·tect/diˈtekt/
Verb: Discover or identify the presence or existence of.
Originally Posted by
medic51vrf
I won't go into details in a public forum for obvious reasons but I can tell you that it would be VERY easy for me to get a firearm into the sterile area at a small commercial airport
As a 22-year veteran of the airline industry I would question your definition of "easy". The dictionary says,
eas·y/ˈēzē/
Adjective: Achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties.
While possible, it certainly would present more than a few difficulties. If your point is that the system is not perfect, then you're right. No system is. The airplanes, the mechanics that service them, and the pilots who fly them aren't perfect either but perfection is not possible and is not required to have a very safe system.