Yes you do. Oh wait, we've never actually met ;) .

Won't elaborate as there are plenty threads about some kind of free trusted traveler scheme already. Unlikely to happen I know, way too much effort.

The basis for the sometimes unrestrained rants is that as a passenger approaching a checkpoint, there is no way to know for sure what's in store. You may get a gsotso, a courteous, professional screener or maybe one of the "fascist" megalomaniacal bullies. Both wear blue.

I have to disagree about the TSA being non-adversarial. Immediately following 2001 there was an opportunity to develop a co-operative approach with the traveling public who at that time would have been 100% (well, maybe not Spiff) behind it. Instead we got nail clippers, pond water, bookmarks, CMH and a host of other incidents demonstrating that some (at least) screeners were more interested in unbridled power, loosing sight of what ought to have been the objective. I fear the us-and-them paradigm is now beyond repair; a long time since.

This conversation is making me ill. Polite rapists?

You have no right to molest us. Our bodies are our own. You have no right to fondle and grope and peer. You are violating our dignity in an unbelievable way. It doesn't matter how polite you think you're being.

Sick.

Clear?

You are misrepresenting what the Johns Hopkins study said. Johns Hopkins never said or implied that the levels of radiation from the WBIs were safe.

In fact, they were given access to a machine and specifically asked if the levels of radiation were at or below limits set by the American National Standards Institute. They were never asked if the levels were "safe."

Here is the money quote from Johns Hopkins:

Again, Johns Hopkins never said the machines were safe.

I used to work for a private ambulance service, which required living five hours away from my wife for the workweek, only seeing her on weekends. This job also provided the only disposable income outside of hefty school loans for supporting my small family (wife, myself and a bird).

One day, the owner of the company came to me with a stack of my run reports, covering the past 90 days, telling me that I needed to change the medical codes for the reason for transport or he would not get paid by Medicare. He went on to provide me with a run-by-run list of the codes and narratives that he wanted me to write up and sign. I quit on the spot, turned over my ambulance keys and walked out. The following day, I made reports to the local authorities and Medicare (although I never heard back from either).

The wife and I struggled for about two months, while I worked temporary office jobs until I found a full-time position.

I have zero sympathy for someone not willing to take a stand when they see their employer advocating or ordering tasks that are in violation of moral, ethical or Constitutional standards/practices. If individual TSA employees do not like the "disrespect" they receive from a portion of the traveling public, then they need to choose to not work for TSA. After all, their boss, and their coworkers in many cases that I have witnessed, have no problems telling the public, whom THEY SERVE, to not fly if we do not like their policies...

Here is an article that directs you to a letter signed by four scientists from the University of California - San Francisco.

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publ...cle_6628.shtml

Here is the link to the actual letter signed by the four scientists:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/defa...jph-letter.pdf

I could site others articles but the point is, the machines do not have any study of long-term effects on the human body, good or bad. At the same time, our U.S. government irresponsibly expects innocent passengers to subject themselves and/or their families to the scanners without adequate knowledge of what the machines are doing to those individuals who are scanned (radiated).

I am curious, why are you challenging anything negative about the scanners. Are you involved with the manufacturing of them?
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You are of course correct, and I'd like to offer you a personal apology for any hurt feelings that may have arisen from reading any of my posts. I am unfortunately better at letting of steam using harmless invective and unfortunately worded statements. They seem rather appropos and/or humorous when first penned, but lose their lustre upon review. This is a trait that is unlikely to change over the remainder of my life, but it works for me, so I embrace it with all my heart, and would ask that you do the same by focusing on the broad message rather than the language used to make that point.

This is a very "classy" response -

Thanks for posting it.
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My employer has never asked me to sexually assault innocent children. When he does, I will quit without thinking twice.

You are welcome.

Agreed. I was selected at a non US airport this week for a secondary. I told the security screener that I had certain limitations, and she acknowledged my comment, and was very respectful and careful albeit it thorough. When another screener asked about my carryon she motioned for him to take it off the belt for me (although I am capable of doing that myself) and said 'take care of yourself!' It felt genuine, and I don't think that there was a diminishment of the security process to offer up those simple words. Nor were they necessary, but they did impact my opinion of the screening.

Now contrast that to my most recent TSA experiences. Last night as I often do I awoke from a nightmare driven by physical pain. And as it has been for awhile now, the nightmare involved a TSO. My brain has now managed to unconciously combine physical pain and TSA together as a result of some very painful experiences I had US airports recently.

And those experiences did happen; they certainly were not a figment of my imagination. I am telling the truth, in case anyone wishes to say 'it never happened' or 'everybody lies'.

And also add me to the list of posters here who did stand up for what was right in the workplace and who did lose my position as a result of that action. But I am proud to say that.

What a hoot. They are grabbing people's junk and still saying "I'm the victim here". Sounds like how a lot of alcoholics talk. "If only you weren't FORCING me to grab your junk!" Jerks.

No I am not. But I have read the reports of those who read the data. Four scientists? Can that be trumped by four teachers and a frequent flyer?

Your scientists have not read the data. Your cell phone has more of a chance of causing cancer! That is what the data shows!

@GSOLTSO

I could care less if the screeners are friendly, I care that genitals are being touched. Especially when it is children and senior citizens that are confined to wheelchairs.

The fact of the matter is that most of the time it isn't the screeners fault it is the SOP, however, that doesn't mean there are not screeners that abuse their power.

You could also argue that most of the SS guys were decent guys just doing their job, but the Nazi SOP is what caused the injustices.

I think TSA is at or at least near the breaking point when it comes to the public perception and cooperation of them and their policies. After all as Rep. Paul said, the citizens of the Soviet Union had rights too, until the government took them away.

@GSOLTSO

Answer me a hypothetical

Suppose you had an 8 & 14 year old daughter and an 80 year old mother that can barely stand for any length of time.

How would you feel about a stranger playing a pat down game that involves touching your daughter's vulva, and your mother gets a courtesy breast exam that is more invasive than any performed by a licensed doctor. These pat downs could even be performed by someone of the opposite gender.

These kind of things happen, and unfortunately just like any passenger could be a potential terrorist, any TSO could be a potential pervert. TSA has shown that they are more than willing to take more power and people's rights since their inception. If we don't fight this then next thing you know they will be putting lubricant on their gloves for the cavity searches.

"Your cell phone has more of a chance of causing cancer! That is what the data shows!"

What data? There has not been any long-term studies on health hazards concerning the scanners.

You misread the Johns Hopkins study and now you write that the four scientists from the University of California did not read the data concerning the scanners. You know more than the four scientists!

I remain puzzled why you continue to support the scanners although no legitimate independent study or long-term study has been conducted in connection with possible harmful health effects.

I would be willing to bet that you, personally, have not submitted to the scanners or would not feel comfortable allowing your family members to be scanned by the machines.

What more can I say except that reasonable people disagree?

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Couple of points.

I hope TSA employees are feeling victimized. That is good for the flying public.

Also it is the individual TSA employee who has their hands in our pants, crotch and breast so they are actually directly responsible for these acts.

If TSA employees don't like doing these things then find a honest job.

If they do like doing these things then get a job where prisoners are the recipient of these acts, not citizens who have done nothing worse than buy a plane ticket.