divemistressofthedark

Will volunteer to help with design (I'm an artist by trade) and editing as needed, or to help with handouts near BNA. You people are my hero(in)es.

Got the enhanced patdown this week on my way back to the U.S. from a scuba trip. I seriously can't believe this is happening...just praying the appropriate level of outrage will be demonstrated by the public in the months ahead.

(Try traveling with scuba gear if you think you haven't seen the worst of invasion of your privacy by people intent on disassembling all of your luggage, leaving it a jumbled mess for you to try to re-pack before making your flight. As though the new airline weight limits weren't enough of a PITA for people carrying scuba gear, which almost by definition is dense and heavy. I'm not a fan of renting potentially poorly-serviced scuba gear on location, so there's really no way around it for myself and many others I know, including people who make a living through teaching scuba. Often safety requirements dictate packing a scuba octopus [regulator] in the carry on bag. There are hundreds of thousands of traveling divers living in the U.S. - so why am I always treated as though I'm trying to get away with something by packing perfectly standard breathing apparatus produced by U.S. manufacturers onto an airplane?

Also, there's something about SLR cameras and Kindle book readers that appears to provoke their encroachments.

Gee, that's really unusual - people traveling with cameras and reading material on a vacation, or scuba gear to an island destination. Personally, I really love being treated like a criminal for doing something well within societal norms. Whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'? Guess that was too 2009 for the TSA.)

Another suggested tactic: I don't say anything that isn't required by law, including 'hello.' I'll answer direct questions regarding the content of my bags, but nothing regarding whether I had a good time on my trip, whether I'm having a nice day, etc.

They can (for now) force me to submit to this ridiculous invasion of privacy if I want to fly somewhere, but they sure as hell can't force me to be all hap-hap-happy about it. Also, I'm not about to provide any TSA agent an opening for detaining me because of a misinterpretation of something I've said.

I really can't believe the indignant reactions I've gotten from TSA agents for not seeming to acknowledge that they're supposedly doing this for the good of all of us, or just doing their jobs, through my refusal to chit-chat. Without getting into too much hyperbole, plenty of evil has been perpetuated throughout history by people "just doing their jobs."

Prior to August 1 of this year, cargo handled by corporations was allowed onto passenger planes without screening of any kind. Even now, cargo coming from foreign countries and placed on passenger planes isn't screened:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...cmp=networkbar

Further, the TSA has outsourced screening of cargo to private corporations, and one can bet there's payola attached to these contracts. Are they required to meet some kind of standard? How was this outsourcing performed? Who directed it?

When the entire security process isn't more about theater or mollifying a public that's been stirred into hysteria by various government entities than it is about actual security, I'll personally be a hell of a lot more cooperative.

Boggie Dog

If you would please describe the Pat Down you received in a detailed manner as possible.

I would like to see a public record of TSA actions.

Wimpie

Ralph Nader and EPIC Urge Senate Hearings on Airport Body Scanners

http://epic.org/2010/09/ralph-nader-...urge-sena.html

Letters to Senators Lieberman and Collins:

http://epic.org/privacy/body_scanner...y_scanners.pdf
http://epic.org/privacy/body_scanner...y_scanners.pdf

They're keeping the pressure up, but have been ignored so far. Their court date is in October, but this might stoke the fires. I emailed Marc at Epic the links to our flyers at:

http://www.nudeoscope.com
http://dontscan.us
http://dontscan.me

Here's hoping!^

barbell

Sorry, I'm late to this game, and I haven't read the thread in its entirety, so I apologize if this has already been discussed.

I am trained, and will soon be licensed, to operate ionizing radiation equipment similar to the equipment in question here. I am, therefore, intimately familiar with the potential tissue damage equipment similar to this can cause.

Peer reviewed scientific study has concluded that the cornea is the most sensitive tissue susceptible to the cummulative effects of ionizing radiation. At a minimum people subjected to this exposure should be provided eye protection sufficient enough to block this radiation. Forcing, coercing, and otherwise encouraging people into ionizing machines without such protection exposes them to potential blindness, cataracts, and other degenerative diseases of the eye.

In addition to educating your fellow travelers on the dangers inherent in this technology to human skin, it may also be wise to alert them to the very real possibility that their eyesight is at even greater risk of damage.

FriendlySkies

Thanks for posting! Would you be alright with us quoting this on the websites that have been created?

breny

Barbell, do you have a link or a cite for this? I would like to send this information to some people and I'd like to be able to back it up. Thanks!

barbell

I am totally fine with that.

This information is often overlooked, but is a huge concern in my future line of work. I figure most people aren't aware of it because others who use x-ray technology don't use it in the way we do, and we are therefore much more cautious with it in this regard (exposure to the eyes).

I hereby volunteer to find the actual studies and parse a quote and respectable source for you to use. However, I have national licensing exams coming up, and I shouldn't even be in here reading this stuff, much less commenting. I will get you more concrete information. It'll just be a little bit.

I also wish to express my most sincere gratitude to the people who are contributing to this cause in any way, big or small. This issue is a deep concern of mine. When I was told by a supervisor that managers "don't talk to people like you" because I challenged a decision to confiscate medical items based on the TSA's own published rules, I decided enough was enough and I would do everything within my power to thwart this HuAC agency. This situation happened about 2 years ago with the onset of the insane liquids ban. I am elated to see critical mass finally forming.

No matter the response from your fellow travelers, keep a level head and keep educating. Some will ignore you at peril to their own health, longevity, freedom, and security.

I had several friends make fun of me for a "TSA obsession" when they found me reading these forums. When I showed them the TSA's own images on their website and explained the situation, each and every one of them were shocked and disgusted. They don't make those claims anymore.

Because my own senator, whom I have supported until now, is the coauthor of the bill requiring use of these disgusting and HuAC tactics, I am putting skin in this game. Stay tuned...

MikeMpls

Is there a source that we can attribute this to? It's bad enough that such x-ray equipment is being used on humans by unlicensed burger flippers with no background in radiology. It would be very useful to show that is also done without the safeguards that one would expect from trained radiologists.

I've been wondering the last few days what the response would be if we took a few thousand of these fliers and distributed them door-to-door in a middle/upper middle class neighborhood -- the sort of people who are likely to travel at some point in the next year.

Wimpie

I went back and fixed it.
BTW how come we are still stuck with Nappy's graduation picture? Website was supposed to be back 9/4.

FriendlySkies

Nappy photo is now gone. It took me a bit longer to get some of the updates done..

MikeMpls

Please consider adding the ACLU link in my signature. If there is any one organization with the potential to slay this dragon, it's the ACLU.

Wimpie

Sponsored by the ACLU of Massachusetts

http://ma.aclu.org/site/Survey?ACTIO...URVEY_ID=28701

FriendlySkies

I've got it on the main page. I've also posted the facebook 'like' button. I'll create a facebook page for us tomorrow.

MikeMpls

From Lack of Eye Protection in Cath Lab Could Lead to Cataracts :

And they expect us just to throw up our arms and enjoy the rays?

My wife is already developing cataracts & looking at surgery for it in a few years.

Scubatooth

Well cath labs use fluoroscopy for the procedures that would extend to a lot more other procedures (GI flow, Epidural steriod injections, etc).

Im sorry TSA full of it and I wont be going through one of these perverted devices as i dont need to add to my life time radiation dose. Then that TSA wont produce the machine specs or certification documents yet another reason not to trust them on top of the mountain of incidents and evidence to date already.

#TSAFAIL