**UPDATE** Flying For Holiday Vacation? Prepare To Be Violated, Prepare To Resist
**UPDATE: Friends, it looks like this outrageousness has just gotten even worse. Check it out: TSA now putting hands down flyer’s pants. Sickening.
Our friend Babychaser messaged me last night with a burden on her heart. She is asking some of her blogging buddies to help spread the word, and I for one am 100% on board. I applaud her effort to bring this extremely disturbing issue to the table, and am honored to participate in the discussion.
What we are talking about is the molestation going on in airports around the country. As if the “naked body scanners“, which are virtual strip search machines, weren’t bad enough, now, those who are wise enough to “opt out” of these invasive and potentially dangerous scans are being punished with even further humiliation and personal violation by a new, stricter measure TSA officers are using.
I won’t go into all of the details because I want you to read what Babychaser has so passionately shared on her own site. But I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Personally, I don’t know what to tell those of you who have no choice but to fly this holiday season. Me and my family will not be flying anymore as long as these disgusting actions are still taking place in the name of “security”.
I guess all I can do is encourage you not to take this sitting down. Research the body scanners for yourself. Learn the dangers. Learn the true nature of this machine and what it is capable of. And please, for goodness sakes, opt out! But prepare yourself for what is sure to come next. Prepare to defend your honor, and the innocence of your children. Arm yourself with the courage to question, and even refuse, this new and extremely aggressive “pat down” procedure, and do NOT allow these workers to grope and fondle your most sacred areas!! Dear Mothers, protect your precious children. Do NOT allow them to be molested by people who have been brainwashed to think this is acceptable behavior! Ask these workers, “Have you no decency? Have you no common sense?? This is a child for goodness sakes! She is no threat. Leave her alone!”
UGH. I’m getting so angry just thinking about what I would do if I were in this situation. I’m afraid I’d probably end up getting arrested. I don’t know. But I sure as heck would NOT submit to this tyranny, this oppression, this violation of our decency.
Sorry. I’m letting myself get carried away. Please take a moment to read this article, and watch the video interview of a woman who was forced with this humiliation with no time to prepare herself. Know what you may be facing, so you can plan how you will react.
If enough people resist, if enough people stand up and shout out how wrong this is, if enough people point out to these TSA workers that they molesting us, then we will begin to see these measures withdrawn and the body scanners removed. But if we all just go along with it, and do as we are told no-questions-asked, then we can be sure that it will only get worse.
So. What are you going to do? Will you allow them to have their way with you… with your children? Will you submit and stand with your arms over your head so that they can see every inch of your naked body? Will you be still as a complete stranger fondles you “for your safety”?
Where will you draw the line in the sand?
I realize this is a hot button topic. It’s not fun to think about. It doesn’t make you feel good to read. But it’s important that we not sweep stuff like this under the rug; that we don’t just pretend that everything is okay and go on with it. Let’s talk about what can be done!
Alex Jones on Infowars also said, last week, that a friend of his Pastors Son said that there will be a bank holiday this week. Thursday to be exact. He is absolutely right as my daughter works for a bank and they most certainly have a bank holiday. They are calling it Veterans Day.
I’m not saying a lot of crap is surrounded with the TSA scanner stuff. I’m saying the TSA gets the benefit of the doubt here if the information comes from Alex Jones. The guy is an incompetent fool.
We used to fly A LOT. I loved being up in the sky. It helped me to put things into prospective. The world is suck beautiful and big place and I am but a lowly peaon in comparison.
We stopped traveling when “dude” took office. As much money as he has costs us, he has also saved us. I also have been taking notice of the places we used to go. We used to go out west a couple of, few times a year and won’t be doing that again until the people in those states get their stuff together. I don’t see it happening anytime soon.
You spend more quality time together traveling by vehicle anyway. I’d love to get a RV and visit all the red states but that’s a purchase that won’t be even considered for at least another 2 years.
Mrs. D,
So, just wanting to clarify, you do not believe that TSA officers are now groping women’s breasts as a part of new security measures… just because Alex Jones is the one reporting this abuse??
Oh no, I don’t discount it happening. I’m sure there is one pervert in every airport security job. I just won’t take it as actual truth until I hear it from someone with personal experience. I’ve heard others give accounts of respect during TSA pat-downs so I can only go on what I’ve heard from reputable people.
Hopefully we have more respectable TSA officers than perverts and power tripping egomaniacs with a badge. I would *hope* that some of them even use some amount of common sense and discretion when scanning for terrorists. But I’m afraid that the officers are being trained too much on the principle that stereotyping is “bad”, and to be safe you have to treat everybody as a terrorist. I’ve seen some horrible videos on youtube, and newspaper articles of people being harassed and persecuted at airport securities… elderly people, women, children, disabled people in wheelchairs- all being treated as a common criminal, no common sense practiced whatsoever by these officers. We need to let them know that this is NOT okay.
There was an article on a french speaking canadian news site where they said they developed another scan that automatically translate the details into a sex less shape with only a square showing where a suspect thing is.
I realize now that’s what they made me go through at the airports when I moved here in the US and I am shocked. They don’T even tell you what they do and that’s also very disturbing.
They arent supposed to store those images they take but for six months one airport did. You can invert the images and you have full body nude images for perverts to enjoy. The manufacturers of the scanners are making big money and probably lining the politicians pockets…remember its all about the money and the power. We have less they have more. So sad. I’m not flying anymore…
Don’t you worry. Airlines will be getting NO business from my family. I’m not sure if I could have remained civil if that were done to me. Even tho’ it may only be a few that this is actually happening to right now, it is the conditioning and the chance that it could, that really bothers and angers me. And don’t think for a minute that is people don’t speak up that it won’t continue to happen. We cannot be naive and silent! Thanks for speaking up, Kendra!
Unbelievable!!! I am completely shocked. I would be so outraged if someone tried this on me or my 8 year old daughter. I KNOW I would be arrested, because I would not stand for that!
I haven’t flown since Sept 1st, 2001… before 9/11, so our security measures weren’t that strict when we flew.
I guess if it was me, I wouldn’t care if they did the full body scanner on me. I look at it like this, who cares if someone sees an image of my body on a screen, they don’t know me, they don’t see me in real life, they are just in a room looking at an image on a screen. They can’t put a face with the image. I am one of those people that can separate myself from that in my mind and remember that I will likely never see those same people again in my life.
I don’t think that I would be comfortable with the full hand pat down, that seems like it would be a bit uncomfortable.
If I am willing to fly, then I’m am willing to do what it takes to make sure my flight is safe, if that means going through the full body scanner, then so be it. I’d rather have a blue gray image of my body on the screen vs. my dead body in a coffin. Remember terrorists are willing to do anything to kill Christians and Westerners, even having women and children being the terrorists. I do not think our government is training the screeners to molest people. If the gov’t doesn’t do enough they get attacked and if they do too much they get attacked. There isn’t a good solution, but what they are doing is the best solution they have come up with so far.
With all that being said, please don’t conclude that I think adults touching children like that is appropriate, because I do not.
Angela,
To me, it is more about our freedoms being taken away and our most basic human rights being violated. I should not have to be stripped naked in order to fly. And this is what the body scanners do. Have you seen the image they view of your body? It is not simply a blue/gray silhouette. Maybe some people can justify the sacrifice, but I cannot. Once again I am reminded of the quote: “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Benjamin Franklin
I am not willing to sacrifice my liberties for security. If “terrorists” want to hurt us, then they’ll do it no matter what security measures we have in place. I’d rather be free and take my chance, then live under the all seeing eye of Big Brother and still be at risk of attack.
But thank you for your comments. I do appreciate everybody’s opinion!
Your best defense is your money because money talks in this country.
Write the airlines and theme parks and tell them you will no longer fly and no longer take your children to their parks/tourist sites because of the security measure violations going on in airports. Make it clear that unless these naked body scanners are removed and intrusive pat down measures are repealed, you will not be their customer. You can write lawmakers until the cows come home and nothing will be done; but if the bottom line of companies become very damaged over this issue, you will have allies to fight the battle with you.There are more of us than of the people making money off these machines!Somebody got paid off somewhere to allow these machines into our airports and to allow this intrusion into personal freedom. This is also how to combat the problem and restore some sanity to our airports. Vote with your pocketbooks!
You know Betty, you are absolutely right!!
I used to fly once in a while before I met and married my husband. Since then however, I haven’t and won’t fly. It’s disgusting. People are told they come from animals (hence they are animals) and so they act like animals. There most definetly are some decent people out there. However, they are becoming fewer and farther between. It’s scary. I am very very thankful that my family lives close enough to drive to. Because otherwise we would never see them unless they flew. Because it is NOT happening, especially since the installation of the full body scanners and pat downs. No way, no how.
Also, I am NOT ok with anyone besides my husband seeing my body or touching me at all. It’s not ok, it shouldn’t be thought of as ok. Too much acceptance for the sake of ‘safety’ and we have tyranny…
I fly to and from the USA from overseas at least once a year, as does much of my family from the USA to here in Europe, where I live. Never once has anything like this happened to us in airports. Seriously. I’m not saying these people are lying – but I’m going to go on my experience (recently this year included). In my experience they sent us through a metal detector, waved us down with a wand, and the most “extreme” (once when we were pulled aside for the closer check) – let the back of their hand lightly go down our sides, back, outside and inside of our legs – woman with woman, man with man. And when I say lightly, I mean lightly. I had no problem with that – in fact, with the ones where we just walked through the metal detector I was wishing that they’d be a little more careful in their checking. Not trying to discount this woman’s story (although I wasn’t too impressed with the moderator’s way of presenting the whole thing) – but again, I’ve never seen anything like this in any of my flying – neither has any of my extended family who flies a lot. They’ll be coming in a few weeks, as a matter of fact – so we’ll see what they say… I tend to agree with Angela: I’m for high security, and don’t see it as tyranny or a sacrifice of liberty to make the free choice to fly with the knowledge that I may have to go through a full body scanner or be patted down. (Which I would be willing to do – although I’ll be asking for a woman to do the pat down.) Just my 2 cents worth – and my personal opinion – don’t have a problem with the fact that you all feel differently!
Wow, how much are people willing to accept just because the government tells them it’s okay?
Why are we full body scanning flights within the U.S. when the terrorist flight threats are originating from OUTSIDE the U.S.? Go figure. I absolutely love to travel, but I am not flying another commercial flight until the intrusive security measures are rescinded. Government has way overstepped is bounds all in the name of security, IMHO.
Kendra,
I just did a CBS poll on the invasive airport security screenings.
86% of responders believe they are an invasion of civil liberties.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/17/national/main7063414.shtml
And in the same article, Sen. Claire McCaskill called them “love pats”. Gross!
Here’s another article:
http://boston.com/community/blogs/on_liberty/2010/09/tsa_and_the_audacity_of_grope.html
Oh, yeah, here’s a quote from an airline official admitting it is molestation!!!! “With people getting partially molested at checkpoints, all that is going to be a real shock for them,” said Greg Wells, senior vice president of operations at Southwest Airlines. “TSA will create an issue for us. It’s going to slow things down.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703688704575620601511628936.html
And if that’s not enough, check out the multitude of reports on http://www.drudgereport.com/
So, to the poster concerned about Alex Jones. Nope. He’s not in some fairy tale land here.
The only thing these people understand is their bottom line (which they are making by touching yours!) If EVERYONE would say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and ABSOLUTELY avoid flying and VOTE with their MONEY. The airlines would be beating down congresscriters doors getting them to call off the TSA thugs.
As for me and my house, we will not fly!
I love your blog! Altho these scannings and pat downs are in fact a violation of our privacy, we have the choice NOT to fly. As much as I hate to agree with these procedures it really is for our own safety and that of our nation and national security. I am sure if we have patience they will come up with a better alternative, but for now maybe this is the best they can do? The safety of our nation is at stake here, so for those of us who do not agree with these procedures we can just boycott the airlines! I however do not think it is at all appropriate for men to pat down women. It should be our choice of the sex of whom pats us down or who is allowed to touch our children. What would we all say if another 9-11 was to happen? Would we feel differently about all this? I am not sure myself. I think it would go back to the government being blamed for not doing something, anything to keep us safe, which is really what this is all supposed to be about. I hope a more discreet way will be found to make sure we stay safe from terrorists and I for one will not be flying!
My only two cents here is that no government security measures have ever stopped a terrorist. Every single ‘terrorist’ incident was thwarted by passengers, not security. Not one single airport has shut down since 9/11 because an ‘incendiary’ device has been found going through security. The fact that politicians and airline crew were exempt (until recently for the crew) was the scariest part.
You think a terrorist would just waltz up to security and agree to a ‘pat down’?? Of course not! They take years to plan and train for new and exciting ways to kill! They do not repeat themselves for the sake of repetition. They go after new and better ways of attacking us – and what they want is for us to live in fear and ruin our economy – which is what is happening now. With the TSA helping them along, and the sheeple thinking it’s okay, I think the terrorist are winning every time a new ‘security’ measure is passed.
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