Skip to main content

TSA Protests Against Full Body Scanners A Non Event

TSA Protests Against Full Body Scanners A Non Event - Was the media's coverage of the threat of protests over the Transportation Security Agency's use of body scanners and more-intimate pat-down searches overblown?

Judging by what happened on Wednesday at Lambert-St. Louis International and other airports around the nation, you might say yes.

Ken Leiser of the Post-Dispatch reported in Thursday's edition that despite the 10-day barrage of television, radio and print stories warning of the possibility of bottlenecks at the security stations at the nation's airports on Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year, everything went pretty smoothly at Lambert.

And the Associated Press reported that bad weather, not protests, caused the most problems on Wednesday.

This countered what was expected, based on stories leading up to Wednesday.
The issue was that some people believed the new body scanners' technology would give passengers dosages of radiation they didn't want and constituted an illegal search. But if passengers were chosen for the scanners and opted out, they would be subjected to the TSA's more thorough pat-downs, which could make some travelers a little uncomfortable.

Civil libertarians argued the scanners and pat-down searches violate passengers' Fourth Amendment rights. Others argued the new procedures could violate passengers' sense of modesty and were the equivalent of sexual assault.

So incensed were some that a boycott was called for. Passengers, if chosen for the body scanners, were to opt out, forcing the TSA to conduct more pat-downs and in turn choke traffic at the security checkpoints.

Meanwhile, the debate extended into the political spectrum, with some saying it was a controversy created by conservatives to be used as fodder against President Obama's administration, while others say it was a symbol of government overreach. Members of Congress grilled TSA officials over the procedures.

TSA Protests Against Full Body Scanners A Non Event
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Contactless Debit Cards

Contactless Debit Cards - Contactless debit cards will make their formal debut in Canada next year with the launch of Interac Flash from Acxsys Corp.’s Interac Association, Canada’s national debit network. Interac’s first two Flash issuers are Scotiabank and RBC Royal Bank, which will roll out their first contactless cards next summer. The first acquirer is TD Merchant Services, a unit of Toronto-Dominion Bank. More issuers and acquirers are on the way, an Interac spokesperson tells Digital Transactions News, though no announcements have been made yet. Interac and the banks tested Flash this summer at some high-volume, small-ticket merchants in downtown Toronto. The spokesperson expects national merchants will be making formal announcements about acceptance. “There’s a lot of excitement in the merchant community,” she says. “Merchants are looking for that faster throughput.” In a statement, the Retail Council of Canada endorsed the new card. “Interac Flash is a welcome and needed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Homes Losing Value Fastest

Homes Losing Value Fastest - Homeowners with Citigroup loans in foreclosure-rich Virginia Beach, Va., and Orlando, Fla., are in luck. The mortgage giant announced today that it will impose a moratorium on most foreclosures and modify $20 billion in mortgages to enable homeowners who are not behind on their loans, but in danger of falling behind, to avoid foreclosure. Those that don't fall under the plan? They're in hot water. Well, underwater. Virginia Beach homeowners who bought homes this year possess a paltry 5.2% of home equity, and 34.5% owe more on their property than it's worth, according to Zillow.com, a real estate research group. That's the worst rate in the country. Even in Orlando and Miami, two cities hammered by bad loans and home-equity dips, only 30% and 29% of homeowners are underwater, respectively. It's a similar story in El Centro, Calif., Bakersfield, Calif., and Cumberland, Md. What's certain to follow? Foreclosures. "Negative...
1 comment
Read more

'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Home on the Market for $1.65M

'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Home on the Market for $1.65M - "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" fans listen up! A home from the iconic '80's film is on the market for $1.65 million, reports the Huffington Post. Starring as the modern digs of character Cameron Frye in the movie, the glassy house is located in Highland Park, Illinois and has been on the market for a little over a year. More photos reveal the glass-wrapped home features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a spacious tree-filled lot, according to the listing on Realtor.com. 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Home on the Market for $1.65M With four bedrooms, three bathrooms and 5,300 square feet of living space, the home served as the setting for the oddball hijinks in the 1986 film. Architects A. James Speyer and David Haid designed the house, built in 1953, with a specialty glass-enclosed garage to store Ben Rose's collection of vintage cars, reported Luxist.com when the home or...
Post a Comment
Read more