Welcome to my blog! I'm Victoria, and I love liberty, individual rights, and writing about politics, trials, and current events. Read more about me here.
Last week, sadly, Jesse Ventura’s case against the TSA was dismissed. The former Minnesota governor had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, (correctly) calling the use of airport full-body scanners and pat-downs without probable cause unconstitutional, demeaning, and degrading. He gave quite a press conference afterward, saying that he would never fly again, that he would apply for dual citizenship with Mexico, that he would call our country the Fascist States of America, and that he might even run for president:
“I will not be treated like a criminal. In our airports today, we citizens are treated like criminals. We’re guilty until we’re proven innocent…I will never stand for a national anthem again. I will turn my back and raise a fist the same way Tommy Smith and John Carlos did in the ’68 Olympics, Jesse Ventura will do that today.”
Good for him. If I filed a lawsuit to stand up for my constitutional rights and it was thrown out, I would be mad too!
As you may have heard, the TSA subjected Lori Dorn – a breast cancer survivor – to a full-body scan and pat-down by agents who ignored her medical information card. She blogged about her experience, and the TSA actually apologized for its treatment of her. She wrote:
“Yesterday I went through the imaging scanner at JFK Terminal 4 for my Virgin America flight to San Francisco. Evidently they found something, because after the scan, I was asked to step aside to have my breast area examined. I explained to the agent that I was a breast cancer patient and had a bilateral mastectomy in April and had tissue expanders put in to make way for reconstruction at a later date.”
“I told her that I was not comfortable with having my breasts touched and that I had a card in my wallet that explains the type of expanders, serial numbers and my doctor’s information (pictured) and asked to retrieve it. This request was denied. Instead, she called over a female supervisor who told me the exam had to take place. I was again told that I could not retrieve the card and needed to submit to a physical exam in order to be cleared. She then said, ‘And if we don’t clear you, you don’t fly’ loud enough for other passengers to hear. And they did. And they stared at the bald woman being yelled at by a TSA Supervisor.”
“We do our best to treat passengers with the dignity and respect they deserve, but in Lori Dorn’s case, it looks like we missed our mark,” the TSA wrote on their official blog. “We sincerely regret and apologize for the experience Mrs. Dorn had at JFK.”
Thank you Lori for standing up to the TSA and actually getting them to admit they were wrong. Visit her blog, her husband’s blog, or follow her on Twitter @HRLori.
Today the Transportation Security Administration announced that it would be improving its airport security procedures. That’s right, actually improving them, as in making them more respectful of dignity and privacy. According to a press release…
“As part of its ongoing commitment to take smart steps to maintain high level security standards while also improving the passenger experience at checkpoints, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John S. Pistole today announced that TSA will begin installing new software on TSA’s millimeter wave Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines—making upgrades designed to enhance privacy by eliminating passenger-specific images. This new software, also referred to as Automated Target Recognition (ATR), will auto-detect items that could pose a potential threat using a generic outline of a person for all passengers. In the coming months, TSA will install the software upgrade on all currently deployed millimeter wave imaging technology units at U.S. airports nationwide.”
This is not perfect. But it is a huge improvement. The main problem with full-body scanners is that the TSA agents see people’s naked bodies, and the new technology eliminates that. Maybe someday soon I will be able to fly again!
In related news, according to MSNBC and the Associated Press, it appears that Yukari Mihamae, the woman accused of groping a TSA agent, will not face charges of felony sexual abuse, after all. Perhaps the prosecution and/or judge saw the hypocrisy of charging her for doing what TSA agents do routinely. If you’re on Facebook, “like” this page to support her: “Acquit Yukari Mihamae.”
And check out more coverage of the TSA’s new developments at MSNBC and Fox News.
There have been rumors that terrorists are planning to surgically implant bombs in people’s bodies to sneak through security. As you might expect, the TSA is beefing up security in response to this. But for the most part, they aren’t planning to use even more invasive measures than they already are. Instead, they are focusing on ”intelligence information about possible plots, equipment that checks for minute traces of explosives, behavior detection officers and canine teams.”
If security must be increased, this is the right way to go. Hopefully this will show people that ever more invasive, degrading security measures, in addition to violating everyone’s rights and taking away everyone’s quality of life, do not work. Just as one attempted terrorist put a bomb in his underwear to evade metal detectors, the terrorists have now come up with a type of bomb that will get through full-body scanners. There is no way to eliminate the possibility of a terrorist attack. There are two choices: to destroy everyone’s freedom and have a tiny chance of a terrorist attack, or to allow people to have freedom and have a tiny chance of a terrorist attack.
I assume (and sincerely hope) that no one wants the TSA to cut everyone open before they are allowed to board a plane. Let’s stop inflicting huge costs on everyone that will not even detect bombs.
Here in the U.S. of A. our government decided to use strip search machines as a primary method of airport security screening in early 2010. After thousands of people have been robbed of their sexual innocence and dignity by being forced to be seen naked in order to board a plane, the TSA finally decided to start testing a version of the machines that shows a generic paper-doll-like outline instead of the person’s naked body.
“The software will detect potential threats such as weapons and explosives and show their location on a generic outline of a person. If no threat is detected, an ‘OK’ will appear on the monitor with no outline. A spokesman for Transport Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Australia would be getting the ‘stick-figure’ version.”
The best policy would be no full-body scanners at all, but it makes a heck of a lot more sense to ensure that the technology (at least somewhat) preserves people’s dignity and privacy before starting to use it.
