This Thanksgiving, please put your junk in the trunk
I must say, I am amazed at the ‘debate’ over the full-body scanning at airports and the enhanced pat-downs introduced by the TSA – by the way, only to those who refuse to go through the full-body scanner. Salacious headlines flying around include ones like, “TSA’s new groping and fondling policy.” Just another example of the some of the quality journalism that sadly exists in our country.
So, leave it to the yahoos to come up with National Opt-Out Day, which they describe as follows:
It’s the day ordinary citizens stand up for their rights, stand up for liberty, and protest the federal government’s desire to virtually strip us naked or submit to an “enhanced pat down” that touches people’s breasts and genitals in an aggressive manner. You should never have to explain to your children, “Remember that no stranger can touch or see your private area, unless it’s a government employee, then it’s OK.” The goal of National Opt Out Day is to send a message to our lawmakers that we demand change. We have a right to privacy and buying a plane ticket should not mean that we’re guilty until proven innocent. This day is needed because many people do not understand what they consent to when choosing to fly.
My suggestion for those in favor of National Opt-Out Day would be to please opt out of flying and leave the rest of us alone. I travel way too much, and the Saint Mary’s medal that I wear around my neck has never set off a single metal detector. Not once. I went through a full-body scanner last week, and sure enough, they saw it and checked it out. That they spotted it and checked it out made me feel good – they should pat me down to make sure that it was no threat to others. In other words, the system worked. And that’s a good thing!!
The sensationalism surrounding this drives me absolutely nuts. The government’s desire is to strip you naked…being touched in an aggressive manner…groping and fondling your ‘junk’ (like the TSA agent woke up that morning just hoping to touch that guy’s junk), bringing children into the argument…and the guilty until proven innocent stuff. Does checking your ID before serving you alcohol mean that you’re presumed guilty until proven innocent? I don’t think so, and I don’t imagine the Opt-Out organizers would think so, either. So how does checking you for explosives or other dangerous material before allowing you to board a plane mean that you’re presumed guilty until proven innocent? Couldn’t you make the same exact idiotic argument for traditional metal detectors??
There are full-body scanners in only 69 U.S. airports, and many of these airports also have the traditional metal detectors that you can go through. If you don’t want to go through the full-body scanner, here are your options: pick a different line, pick a different airport, or put your junk in the trunk and drive. Those are your rights – please exercise them and be quiet!
Me? Strip me naked and pat me down – I’m all for getting to grandma’s house safely!
Quixote Views 
Couldn’t agree more- I’m in shock that folks are so upset over this. Do they not watch the news- bombs in diapers and toner cartridges? If showing the goods gets means I from A to B in one piece, sign me up!
Well said! Better dead sure than sure dead!
I agree with you for the most part. But I do have to add that I don’t think they’ve gone about implementing this very well. I first encountered the full body scan several weeks ago in San Diego – before I had actually heard much about it. They just shoved me into this new machine w/o telling me anything about it or giving me an option to go thru the traditional detector. TSA just needed to do a better job of public relations at the airport.