In my case, the decision has been pretty simple. Nothing I've read here or elsewhere, most of wildly speculative and approaching the realm of fantasy (and so often emotionally predicated by legitimate concerns over the presence, procedures and actions of the TSA, rather than sound analysis of any potentially harmful effects of the machines), serves to convince me that my exposure by infrequent trips through the scanners provides RADHAZ at far lower levels than countless other radiation exposures in my childhood and adult life.

Nor does the prospect of on screen "nekkidness" under the eyes of the cannon fodder who seem to make up much of the TSA staff cause me to opt for a "grope'.

It seems only yesterday, we were confronted by the prospect that even in the most modern a/c, high altitude flights represented a potential RADHAZ. Then there was the clamor over cell phones. In the innocent but halcyon days of my youth, Strontium 90 in our milk was sure to destroy us.

For those of sincere conviction otherwise, the "grope" may not be a welcome choice, but then flying is a convenience increasingly burdened by inconvenience. Once comfortable, and aside from the comforts of the front cabins, increasingly uncomfortable, there remain moments in which it is the optimal alternative.