Digital PenetrationInvasion of the naked body scan

[dgriffin]

Digital PenetrationInvasion of the naked body scanners.
By William Saletan

Psssst. Want to see Susan Hallowell naked? Look at the Feb. 24 New York Times. She's on Page A10.
www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/us/24scan.html

Hallowell runs the Transportation Security Administration's research lab. Four years ago, she volunteered to be scanned by a backscatter X-ray machine, which sees through clothing. She was wearing a skirt and blazer. But in the picture, she's as good as nude.

Now it's your turn.

Are you up for this? Are you ready to get naked for your country?

This is no joke. The government needs to look under your clothes. Ceramic knives, plastic guns, and liquid explosives have made metal detectors obsolete. Carry-on bags are X-rayed, so the safest place to hide a weapon is on your body. Puffer machines can detect explosives on you, but only if you're sloppy. Backscatters are different. They can scan your whole surface, locating and identifying anything of unusual density—not just metals, which have high atomic numbers, but drugs and explosives, which have low ones.

Why isn't this technology in lots of airports already? One reason is fear of radiation. That's a needless worry. You get less radiation from a scan than from sitting on a plane for two minutes. If that's too much for you, don't fly.

[Ralph]

Seen them.

The only problem is the picture of the backscatter scan is not of the same person pictured being scanned.

[corner]

dont care how low the risk radiation exposure is cummulative and i dont need some min wage rent a cop zapping me.

[frankcor]

Uh.. corner, those are not minimum wage rent a cops. They are officious unionized federal employee rent-a-cops. You might find better security somewhere, but you couldn't possibly pay more for it.

[concerned]

damn, that could prove rather embarassing for men with penis implants!

[corner]

i stand corrected! got on a plane last year with a couple of pounds of stainless steel in my left leg due to motorcycle accident they did every thing but a rectal exam at syracuse airport came back from orlando the guard at orlando looked at my leg scars and asked motocycle accicident ?i said yes he said got a set just like em have a nice day.. it was easier getting my gun on board both ways than it was my leg.

[kim]

Can you see the face of the person being scanned? If you can't tell who the person is, then it might not be a big deal. Of course, the people doing the scanning will be able to see your face. Hmmmm. I dunno.

I was once at the Syracuse airport when they still let non-passengers go to the gate. I was there to meet a friend. I had on boots with metal buckles and they went over me with that wand like I was a criminal. The guy I was with, who was also meeting the same person at the gate, had throwing stars, which I don't even think are legal, and which can be deadly. He gives them to the guard and said 'I probably can't take them in, huh?. Guard looks at them, hands them back and let him through. That was scary!

[bobbbiez]

I'm not even going to touch on this subject.

[frankcor]

[bobbbiez]

, ---------------------------------------------big smile on my face. ;D
Just love that little guy.

[frankcor]

Whew, I thought I might get smacked for that.

[dgriffin]

Makes you want to take a magic marker and write something on your belly before you get on the plane. OK, frank, take it away .....

[frankcor]

"Bite me, you jack-booted unionized thug."

[bobbbiez]

Watch it Frank! You ain't safe yet. ;D Don't push your luck!

[frankcor]

Hey, Dave made me do it.