passengers can't use religion as an excuse during new tsa screenings

[Amby 490]

WASHINGTON -- The Transportation Security Administration says airline passengers won't get out of body imaging screening or pat-downs based on their religious beliefs.

TSA chief John Pistole told the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday that passengers who refuse to go through a full-body scanner machine and reject a pat-down won't be allowed to board, even if they turned down the in-depth screening for religious reasons.

"That person is not going to get on an airplane," Pistole said in response to a question from Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., on whether the TSA would provide exemptions for passengers whose religious beliefs do not allow them to go through a physically revealing body scan or be touched by screeners.

Civil rights groups contend the more intensive screening violates civil liberties including freedom of religion, the right to privacy and the constitutional protection against unreasonable searches.

The issue is getting new attention after a man posted an item online saying he was thrown out of the San Diego airport for rejecting a full-body scan and pat-down groin check and instead insisting on passing through a metal detector.

Pistole acknowledged the incident was drawing wide attention but told the committee an officer involved was "very cool, calm, professional" in dealing with the passenger.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center is among several civil liberties groups suing the TSA in federal court to stop use of the full-body scanners. Their lawsuit says the machines are overly intrusive and violate civil rights, and that it is questionable whether they can detect powdered explosives such as those used by a passenger in last year's attempted Christmas airliner bombing. They also question whether the machines pose a health risk.

"There's a very strong sense right now that the public attitude on the airport body scanner program has swung dramatically," said Marc Rotenberg, director of EPIC. There is growing opposition from civil rights groups, religious organizations, libertarians, airline passengers and pilots, he said.

EPIC is urging air travelers to take part in a national opt-out day the day before Thanksgiving, refusing to go through the full-body detectors and insisting that any pat-down they receive as a result take place in full view of other passengers.

Several senators asked Pistole to address public criticism of the body-imaging machines and more intrusive pat-downs the agency is using. Pistole said the tougher screening is necessary, and that the FDA has found the imaging machines to be safe. Going through the whole-body scanning machine is similar to getting about three minutes of the radiation that passengers receive at 30,000 feet on a typical flight, he said.

Pistole said his agency was working to address pilot and flight attendant concerns about the screening.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/16/religion-offers-break-airport-screening-tsa-says/

[Amby 490]

this is what I'm getting Paul for Christmas

[scandal 951]

Civil rights groups contend the more intensive screening violates civil liberties including freedom of religion, the right to privacy and the constitutional protection against unreasonable searches.

I don't buy it. The Fourth Amendment protects us from unreasonable search/seizure by law enforcement imposed upon us. The government and its agents cannot enter your home, your office, your vehicle in violation of the 4th Amendment. But nobody has an intrinsic constitutional "right" to travel by air, or to be in an airport. It's a privilege not a right. And it's a privilege that must be weighed against the risks to the general public safety. No one is required to submit to a search. Anyone who doesn't wish to submit is perfectly capable of turning around and leaving the airport, unsearched.

[SuperDuper! 230]

I don't buy it. The Fourth Amendment protects us from unreasonable search/seizure by law enforcement imposed upon us. The government and its agents cannot enter your home, your office, your vehicle in violation of the 4th Amendment. But nobody has an intrinsic constitutional "right" to travel by air, or to be in an airport. It's a privilege not a right. And it's a privilege that must be weighed against the risks to the general public safety. No one is required to submit to a search. Anyone who doesn't wish to submit is perfectly capable of turning around and leaving the airport, unsearched.

Sorry, Scandal. Your "Original Thinking" is 2 days late....

BOING!

http://www.signonsan...using-security/

Edited November 17, 2010 by Boing!

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Lets put this in perspective. There was a study done by the University of Arizona that showed the TSA understating the radiation - its closer 1/50th of a chest Xray. Then they ran the odds of cancer...........you guessed it about the same as a terrorist taking down a plane.

Then there was a quote I heard from someone in law enforcement recently. Basically they said if a plot even gets to the airport then the systems has already failed. If they've gotten that far they'll figure out how to get past the security no matter how stiff.