I sent the same letter to both senators from my state. I encourage anyone else appalled at how the TSA is handling airport security to do the same. I'm split 50/50 right now on flying: I would never submit to a full-body scan but on the other hand, I'd love to refuse the scan and opt-out for a full-body pat down in uniform in front of other travelers. I can't think of any bigger embarrassment to the TSA than a uniformed member of the military having his dick groped in front of grandma and the kids.
Ok, that line about them never having caught a terrorist almost made me tinkle myself. Rock on, Joe!
ReplyDeleteLove the letter! Did you know you're coming up on top of a Google search for "congressional representatives TSA"? It should be noted that the president of the company that builds those backscatter machines recently travelled to India with President Obama (talk about having an "in"!!). He's also friends with the former head of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff. My fear is that this has nothing to do with security and everything to do with money. The TSA screeners get only minimum wage and yet they claim they are "professionally trained". Really???? So much so that they can't figure out how to keep a guy's urostomy bag from breaking? So much so that they don't understand about prosthetics?? I figure there are only two times in a person's life when they might lose autonomous control over their bodies. First if they are a suspect or a criminal and they get caught and thrown into jail/prison. Second if they are having a medical emergency or an operation. Those two circumstances only. Now, criminal law has ethics and standards -- suspects are read their Miranda rights, etc. And medical care is also governed by medical ethics, and legally there have to be releases signed, etc. So WHAT IS UP with this airport screening??? We are NOT suspects or criminals, we have NOT been charged, and we have NOT faced our accusers or seen the evidence, because it doesn't exist!! So handling our bodies in a "law-enforcement way" is completely inappropriate. What would potentially make more sense is to operate under a medical model, according to medical ethics, in which case the screeners should have training in anatomy and physiology, and there should always be a trained medical person (like an RN) on hand to witness or perform any physical search. Check out what happens when they are MINDLESS about what they are doing to us: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/the-problem-with-prosthetics-and-airport-security Even apart from our rights, we should be treated with basic care, not manhandled by minimum wage workers who know and care nothing about us.
ReplyDelete