This video is here to demonstrate that the TSA’s insistence that the nude body scanner program is effective and necessary is nothing but a fraud, just like their claims that the program is safe (radiation what?) and non-invasive (nude pictures who?). The scanners are now effectively worthless, as anyone can beat them with virtually no effort. The TSA has been provided this video in advance of it being made public to give them an opportunity to turn off the scanners and revert to the metal detectors. I personally believe they now have no choice but to turn them off.
Please share this video with your family, friends, and most importantly, elected officials in federal government. Make sure they understand that your vote is contingent on them fixing the abuse that 200,000 passengers face from the TSA on a daily basis.
My legal battle against the TSA’s nude body scanner and pat-down molestation program continues in court, soon with a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. If you’d like to donate to this effort, send PayPal to: jon [at] fourtentech.com
I’d like to thank:
Travel Underground – http://www.travelunderground.org/
Freedom to Travel USA – http://fttusa.org/
Legislators who have stood up to the TSA – especially Dr. Ron Paul & Sen. Rand Paul
…and all those who have both publicly and privately stood up to the TSA.
Add me on Twitter: @tsaoutourpants (no “of”)
Transcript:
I’m publishing this video because I want the world to know how much danger the American Transportation Security Administration is putting all us all in with their haste to deploy the expensive, invasive nude body scanner program. When the machines came out, we were told that the invasion on our privacy, doses of radiation, and trashing of our Constitution were necessary because the old metal detectors weren’t good enough. That “non-metallic explosives” were a threat, even though no one has boarded a plane in the US with any type of explosive in nearly 40 years. But while America was testing these devices, Rafi Sela, who ran security for Ben Gurion airport in Israel, which is known for being one of the most secure airports in the world, was quoted saying he could “overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to take down a Boeing 747,” and Ben Gurion therefore refused to buy scanners. The US ignored this warning, and Mr. Sela never publicly explained his statement. But it stuck with me.
As a scientist, engineer, and frequent traveler, as well as the first person to sue the TSA when they rolled out the scanners as primary in Nov. 2010, I studied and learned about both kinds of scanners currently in use by the TSA. Here are several images produced by TSA nude body scanners. You’ll see that the search victim is drawn with light colors and placed on a black background in both images. In these samples, the individuals are concealing metallic objects that you can see as a black shape on their light figure. Again that’s light figure, black background, and BLACK threat items. Yes that’s right, if you have a metallic object on your side, it will be the same color as the background and therefore completely invisible to both visual and automated inspection.
It can’t possibly be that easy to beat the TSA’s billion dollar fleet of nude body scanners, right? The TSA can’t be that stupid, can they?
Unfortunately, they can, and they are. To put it to the test, I bought a sewing kit from the dollar store, broke out my 8th grade home ec skills, and sewed a pocket directly on the side of a shirt. Then I took a random metallic object, in this case a heavy metal carrying case that would easily alarm any of the “old” metal detectors, and walked through a backscatter x-ray at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. On video, of course. While I’m not about to win any videography awards for my hidden camera footage, you can watch as I walk through the security line with the metal object in my new side pocket. My camera gets placed on the conveyer belt and goes through its own x-ray, and when it comes out, I’m through, and the object never left my pocket.
Maybe a fluke? Ok, let’s try again at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport through one of the TSA’s newest machines: a millimeter wave scanner with automated threat detection built-in. With the metallic object in my side pocket, I enter the security line, my device goes through its own x-ray, I pass through, and exit with the object without any complaints from the TSA.
While I carried the metal case empty, by one with mal-intent, it could easily have been filled with razor blades, explosives, or one of Charlie Sheen’s infamous 7 gram rocks of cocaine. With a bigger pocket, perhaps sewn on the inside of the shirt, even a firearm could get through. It’s important to note that any metal object of any size can use this technique. …and I don’t urge you to try to bring contraband through security, as the nude body scanners often have false positives: so while the metal on your side might get through, a button on your shirt or a sweaty armpit might “look suspicious” and earn you a pat down anyway.
Now, I’m sure the TSA will accuse me of aiding the terrorists by releasing this video, but it’s beyond belief that the terrorists haven’t already figured this out and are already plotting to use this against us. It’s also beyond belief that the TSA did not already know everything I just told you, and arrogantly decided to disregard our safety: anything to force Americans to give up our liberty to the federal government and our tax dollars to companies that are in bed with that government. The nude body scanner program is nothing but a giant fraud, which should come as no surprise after the Fast & Furious scandal that sent thousands of guns to Mexican drug cartels and cost a Customs and Border Patrol agent his life. THIS is a disgrace. So let’s fix this problem — now — before the terrorists take this opportunity to hurt us: the TSA must immediately end the nude body scanner program, and return to the tried-and-true metal detectors that actually work, and work without invading our privacy, as well as implement better solutions for non-metallic explosives, such as bomb-sniffing dogs and trace detection machines.
The TSA is worse than ineffective: they are an epic fail placing us all in danger. Beyond the scanners, Demand of your legislators and presidential candidates that they get rid of this $8B a year waste known as the TSA and privatize airport security. Ask for their commitment to our rights in exchange for your vote. And no matter which party is in the White House or holds on to Capital Hill, the issue of ending TSA abuse is of interest to all Americans; it’s NOT a partisan issue. We must all stand together and demand an end to the organization that molests our families while placing us in danger by directly ignoring blatant security flaws.
Thank you.
Professional Troublemaker ® 
Excellent reporting. Clean, clear and to the point. That is how truth always presents itself and this is a wonderful example of that.
One obvious problem with the presentation, however. You state that “as a scientist and engineer . . . ” although you do not appear to be old enough to have a whole lot of experience or education as a scientist. If you are going to claim it, you are going to have to back it up right up front. Are you employed as a scientist? An engineer? Where? Do you have an advanced degree? From where? When did you graduate? In what field(s)? Please let us know and be very specific. I think the video would have been far better without that anyway – unnecessary to “legitimize” yourself in this way. And, you have set yourself up for the familiar discrediting these agencies do: the tactic is always the same, they discredit you by focussing on your potentially over blown claims as a “scientist.”
And, it really doesn’t take a scientist to demonstrate what you did, just common sense and some good detective work. As you yourself noted, you “pulled out your 8th grade home ec skills.” The personal camera part. If you can’t shoot it well, don’t. Wiggling camera shots that really don’t show anything do not further your statement, they distract from it.
In the end, this was a great video with useful information and I very much appreciate your efforts. Just tighten it up and you will have a great career in investigative reporting.
Reblogged this on Light Reading and commented:
$1B of TSA Nude Body Scanners – Video Shows How Anyone Can Get Anything Past The Scanners
Cavity? I don’t see why terrorists shouldn’t just make their own. Sure, long-term, embedding something in your body can cause rejection, infections, other complications — but someone intending to suicide-bomb shouldn’t care. Why can’t they simply get explosives implanted surgically? How would those be detected by backscatter scanners? You don’t need to use the body’s existing open-to-the-outside-world cavities when the human body has some free space inside the skin.
You’re an American hero, man. I appreciate your courage, to take the chance of what you would have had to go through if they found the metal case.
All TSA has to do now to catch idiot terrorists is make people twirl through said scanners, catching any and all surfaces of their body on camera. With their arms up if you can’t imagine it.
Amazing, just imagine how much we could learn from observation, one of the exclusive and successful security agencies in the world, has one of the most secure airports and air flights in the world, they do not have this expensive and wasteful technology, they use their eyes, they observe, they watch, they ask simple questions, that help them determine where and if a problem exists, its simple when you think about it, but looking at a situation where so much money is spent and we still have problems, you have to ask, are they just too lazy to do the work that other security firms do?
I’m glad you’re suing the pants off these guys. Seems only fair.
How are body scanners “unconstitutional”? Everyone is so dramatic these days. You wish we were losing our liberties. This is the easiest, safest country to live in and it’s full of pussies. On another note, not one person here knows what threats we really face. The TSA are not a bunch of perverts, they hate patting you down just as much as you do. Walk through the goddamn scanner and get on the goddamn plane.
Yes, this country is full of pussies.
Pussies so afraid of non-existent terrorists that they think an electronic strip search is necessary.
You’re a sad person st00ge. A sad, pathetic pussy.
Yeah and you’re entitled, just like the rest of them.
Yes, I do. A 747-400 does approximately 91 miles per US gallon per passenger. Air travel is FAR more efficient than car travel. Yes, it is beaten by trains, but we just don’t have the infrastructure in place for reasonable travel by train.
WOW! I am really at a loss for words. And yes it is invasive. Scanners may or may not be unconstitutional – let’s forget that for a moment – according to this they don’t work the way they are supposed to. How about this … ‘once AGAIN our tax dollars are being invested in something that in no way helps us’.
forget ‘unconstitutional’- ? No, this is absolutely the most important issue. The constitution is what makes us a free country, period, end of story.
How can people not see that the TSA demonstrates exactly what happens when you ignore the constitution? We become a police state. The TSA is going to start inspecting you on the highway, remember? What if they want to inspect you before you leave home for the airport? What’s to stop them, if not the constitution?
No, please, my fellow Americans, if we don’t restore the constitution in America we no longer have a free country.
To stooge: It became a violation of the 4th amendment when the inspectors became a federal entity (I’ll assume you know what the 4th amendment says). A private airline can constitutionally set whatever requirements it wants before it lets you on their very expensive airplane, but the federal government is prohibited from searching you without probable cause.
Private airline security would be better for two reasons – one, they don’t want to lose their very expensive planes, and two, they want to keep you as a customer. So they have the motivation to have both a useful and efficient process. The TSA has no such motivation.
Okay so it may violate a 200 year old document if you want to nitpick. What’s the alternative? When you’re getting on a plane, things are different. We’re talking about a country where suicide bombers crashed planes full of innocent and unsuspecting people into big buildings full of innocent (mostly) and unsuspecting people. It was over 10 years ago, yes, but there’s no timeline here. Terrorists aren’t out there thinking “Oh shit we better attack again! And soon!”
That “200 year old document” is still the law of the land (thank God) though our elected officials try to ignore that fact at every opportunity.
The 4th Amendment is supposed to guarantee our right to be “secure in our persons” ie. privacy. That’s why laws are written that our 4th Amendment rights cannot be infringed without probable cause and a warrant signed by a judge to search our persons, cars, home, etc. Obvioulsy, we can’t expect a member of the judiciary to be present at airport security, however we at least must insist on probable cause which gets down to profiling. And why do people find profiling so objectionable? The FBI profiles all the time. Local enforcement profiles (don’t believe me? Give your teenage son a red sportscar and see how many days it takes for him to get pulled over for something). Right now, the terror threats are 99.9% Arab males of a certain age. If they have a one-way ticket, little or no luggage, etc., pull them over for the scans and interviews. That’s not being racist, that’s being smart and you’re not infringing on everyone else’s rights. The day blonde moms start committing acts of terror, then I would be subject to profiling. Comes with the territory. Political Correctness is KILLING US as a free nation a lot faster than the terrorists are. The terrorists have committed the greatest atrocity of all–they have helped rob us of our liberties through gross acts like The Patriot Act and TSA overkill.
STOOGE: Download the INFORMATION KIT at http://fttusa.org for details on:
1) Why we think it is unconstitutional. It involves Administrative Search doctrine, which carves out exceptions to the 4th Amendment….but ultimately it must pass 4th amendment even if no warrant is required.
2) There were no bombers on 9-11. They took over cockpits using utility knives, which were legal at the time.
3) The alternative is legal screening = metal detectors which work just fine. There have been ZERO suicidal airlines passengers with working NON-METALLIC bombs who caused any fatalities on US flights for 50 years now. That is HALF A FRIGGING CENTURY.
“The mafia has been provided this video in advance of it being made public to give them an opportunity to turn off their crime network, become lawful citizens and get real jobs. I personally believe they now have no choice but to do that”.
Just watch how (1) all this will be completely ignored by the mass media and government and anybody related, and soon forgotten, and (2) eventually you will be known as leading figure among conspiracy theorists , and (3) (not so sure in this one, but quite possible) you will find yourself on no-fly list.
TSA is big business, and you don’t beat big business with base hands. Even if that business is 100% mafia, it still takes years and decades. Don’t expect overnight realizations and changes.
Only in America, we are given the right to voice our opinion, and we all have one,what happened in 911,happenedon the watch of private business
Another Brietbart wannabe? First, everyone goes thru a metal detector as their carry on luggage goes thru an x-ray machine. If the person is selected for secondary screening, they either get a pat down or back scatter.
How did this guy get the ‘metal’ case past the metal detector? He said TSA should get rid of backscatter devices and rely on metal detectors. It seems that metal detectors did not work either. His lack of video evidence suggest his story is a hoax.
No, you don’t go through a metal detector anymore. You probably haven’t been to an airport recently. I was through Dulles just recently, and you’d be shocked at what a factory line the TSA operation has become. It’s obscene.
Then I changed planes in Tampa, and had to go through security again, just to change planes, because it was in two different wings of the airport. And if you think about it, none of this would have prevented 9/11. 9/11 was a con – there were no explosives, no real weapons. The TSA would not have prevented 9/11, not all it’s billions, and it won’t prevent the next terrorist attack, that probably won’t have a thing to do with planes.
Thank you for posting this video. This information is reason enough for us to revert back to metal detectors and start an El Al type screening process.
Thank you for posting this. Can you give specific advice about what we can do to stop the TSA? Links for where to contact the best people to contact for example?
LINK: http://fttusa.org. ALSO – support this blogger’s lawsuit. DONATE MONEY.
He has written fantastic briefs. Unfortunately, the Appeals Court said recently that the TSA can issue secret orders you can’t read, and if you challenge the constitutionality of strip searches and sexual assault patdowns as maybe being unreasonable, you can’t have a fair trial in District Court.
In short, the Courts are screwing America as well – at least when the Bill of Rights is involved.
You people are retarded. Not to say that any organized terrorist group wouldn’t already know this stuff as well, but you are making the flaws in your own national security widely available to the public… and for what? Absolute morons. This borderlines treason.
You’re a fucking idiot.
It’s not national security, einstein, it’s getting on a plane. And it’s not even real airline security, as this guy has demonstrated. It’s government run a muck. Let’s start with some common sense, eh? If we want to prevent terrorists from flying planes into buildings, as I say, TSA is not addressing that issue.
Agree with Mark – Batman, this isn’t any flaw in national security. It is about a flawed process, period. You want a bigger flaw? Why do people on private charters not have the same amount of security? So you’re telling me that someone worth millions that can bypass security doesn’t have the same potential to take over the private charter plane and use it as a weapon? If security was paramount, it would be for all, and not have some fancy corporate bypass possibilities. THINK about it.
Not to mention all the stuff you can hide under the soles of your feet!! I keep telling them this every time I get a pat down, they don’t check under your feet. Fucking idiots. Fucking theater.
“I personally believe they now have no choice but to turn them off.”
Right off the top of my head, I can think of one more option that will likely be the TSA’s logical route. Metal detectors AND backscatter. If the radiation can’t detect metal, but the metal detectors can, they’ll begin using them in tandem. Everyone’s flight routine just got even more difficult.
Just food for thought.
The radiation can detect metal, but it can’t see an item on the side of the body. THAT’s the point.
So they metal detector and scan everyone. Ooops! These machines aren’t as effective as advertised.
You sir, are a true American. Thank you for what you are attempting to do in service to this country.
Of course the solution is to ask people to do a 360 turn – then you won’t have “sides”
January 10, 2010
To the editor;
Recently the United States suffered yet another attempted act of war from a terrorist acting on the misguided notion of jihad. This fellow evaded airport security, then while seated on the aircraft attempted to detonate a bomb in addition to the fuel tank positioned below him. The jihadist’s failure was a result of a lack of preparation; neither his will nor our efforts to keep him off the plane did anything to ameliorate his plans. This jihadist, like many who have attacked this nation in the past, are men educated in mind and not in morals, and as such are a menace to civil society, and must be stopped at any cost. After thirty years of the free world trying to stop various forms of jihad we are no closer to stopping the next attack because the ideology that creates the next radical Islamic terrorist still exists; so long as it exists we will neither have peace nor security – nothing short of a regional war that redraws the boundaries of countries in the middle east will bring us the opportunity of lasting peace. Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan did not alter their evil plans upon the sight of a TSA agent. That said; a small suggestion.
If an airline operated a system akin to how credit card companies detect fraud, in the atmosphere of airport security, what would that look like? Might a pre-flight approval system consist of various credentials already in a citizens possession; a system for non-citizens would perform the same function of verification with cross referenced forms of identification, the elimination of the option of using cash to purchase a ticket, and the elimination of purchasing a ticket without being pre-qualified to do so in the first place. In addition, the airline would be responsible for all security; remember the $50 Billion per year TSA could not stop this jihadist, and frankly in a world where people willingly swallow prophylactics filled with narcotics to breech our drug laws, the TSA will not stop the next one; an airline that is one hundred percent responsible for the occupants and operation of the aircraft can and will. They will have the ability to reject people who do not meet their flight criteria identity policy in a way that the TSA is forbidden from doing. The profit driven airline can drive the innovation that will be required to detect individuals whose behavior is suspicious even before a ticket is purchased by combing the data points that separate out frequent travelers from those that have never flown, or are traveling in a manner not consistent with past patterns, and thus require more scrutiny at security checkpoints prior to boarding the plane.
It is almost treasonous that after so many kicks to our collective complacency we are still only fighting the last battle, and not the next one. Securing an aircraft is best left up to the airline and the crew of the airplane, and not the federal government. The private airline possesses the incentive to maintain the safety of the airplane that the TSA and the rest of the security apparatus lacks. The federal government lacks the economic incentive to do a quality job, but the private airline is nimble and can evolve the policies and procedures the government is not permitted or politically unable to do. The current setup seems to serve only one purpose – to avoid responsibility for anything at all, in that atmosphere you can bet we are going to lose much more then an airliner in the future. The radical Islamic threat from 1979 to 2010 has grown stronger, and developed a greater reach into the west then our side has developed a defense or plan to defeat; we are fooling ourselves if we think a watch list, that no one even bothers to check, is anything more than a placebo for the cancerous philosophy of radical Islam.
I agree with you that the full (nude) body scanners are a violation of our civil liberties, an invasion of our privacy, and a potential health risk. The molestation and genital groping as an “opt out” is even worse. Thank you for taking a stand and fighting for every American’s civil rights. Motivated by your blog, I finally took the time to do something that I’ve been meaning to do ever since I first heard about the new scanners: I emailed every domestic airline’s customer service as well as my home state’s senators and representatives, notifying them of my continued refusal to fly within America’s boundaries until the full body scanner/pat down system is dismantled (I haven’t flown within America since the program started). Thank you again, and best of luck with the lawsuit.
Take a change of underwear and pants along and just start pissing as you’re groped. I wonder how reluctant agents will be to grab a handful if they know it could get messy.
Oh, thats hilarious bro. They couldn’t even grab a handful on you.
Another flaw is that it takes an image from the front and back, but not the sides. This means that a 2-dimensional object (like a razor blade or some other type of knife) will be invisible if it’s concealed perpendicular to the camera. With a crude copy of a scanner, some practice time, and some determination, this can easily be done.
Not sure how you claim it’s more expensive to drive. It’s only $80 round-trip from Kansas City to Atlanta even at today’s gas prices for me to drive. It’s around $100 to fly the same trip which is a non-stop. And my tiny little Yaris Liftback can hold several times the cargo/passengers with no increase in cost while flying goes up in cost quickly.
So, no, flying is not cheaper. Faster? You betcha! But not remotely cheaper than driving a car. Even doubling the price of my gas to account for wear-and-tear (which is a fallacy in this case, highway miles are the easiest miles on a vehicle) it’s barely more expensive for a single person w/ no cargo. Add cargo enough to trip the checked-baggage fees or another person and it’s cheaper again.
You realize that I was factoring in hotel prices, right? 3 days to drive from the West coast to Colorado cost me over $400, including gas, hotel stay and the rented vehicle. That’s the price of a round trip ticket.
Its all show and no go , or in this case no actual improvement in contraband detection than random guessing. But much better at enriching the friends of the government.
Very similar to this article describing the use of Dowsing Rods in Iraq for explosive detection.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_651
The terrorists that were responsible for 9/11 were able to pull off a well organized plot and they did not accomplish this all by themselves. There is a terror network right here in the United States and everyone sees them everyday. The government has people in every agency that is connected. I am convinced of it.
We see the terrorists in the United States every day? We dont even see the terrorists in the Middle East every day, bro.
Although it was interesting you could get that case through the scanner, I think you’ve made a HUGE leap in logic when you say “It’s important to note that any metal object of any size can use this technique.” On what proof are you basing that statement? You were able to get a relatively small and non-threatening case through, that’s all. To go from what you did to “any metal object of any size” is a massive overreach.
I’d say that you got the daring man!! Hat’s off !! I’m not an American resident hence I can’t comment on the legal stuff, but all I’d like to say is all the best! May you be an example to others. Cheers
Ford, the old private security was no less effective than the TSA is now. The only post-9/11 security change that has made any real difference is strengthening the cockpit doors. Everything else is just for show.
Perhaps TSA did see this guys’ EMPTY metal case and didn’t consider an EMPTY case a cause for alarm.I don’t think I would be frightened if he brought it onboard my flight
They don’t see an empty case, they see black object. What’s inside? Who knows!?
Reblogged this on 1RedThread and commented:
Could the TSA`s non constitutional searches be brought down by a blogger?
#IamAndrewBreitbart
Reading through all of the comments here, you have a lot of “know it alls” and a lot of ignorance at the same time. These machines have been proven to be “defeatable” at least two years ago by a German security expert overseas. Don’t believe it? Watch the video:
Half the time either the TSA member is not familiar or is not properly trained to decipher the information that they are looking at on the scanner screen. If you doubt this, how is it that people in the last year or two have easily made it through security with daggers and firearms (including the man who had a loaded 9mm)? And how is it that TSA cause delays for hours when they cannot propertly identify/decipher an insulin pump (and treat it as a weapon), or they harrass disabled people by ripping their colostomy bags or making them take off their prothetic breasts or appendages?
There is a sweet spot in all of this, because if you research the latest technology such as binary explosives and ceramics, you will realize that someone wearing a vest with this technology (as seen in “Act of Valor”) would potentially be able to make it through the regular x-ray/scanner technology, while the vest would show up in a body scanner. Does that mean you expose people twice to the conventional x-ray and body scanner? I think the answer lies in what we don’t want to talk about – profiling.
Mossad, Secret Service, etc. are all trained up in having the capability to scan the crowd and look for the “unobvious” signs and symptoms that most criminals/terrorists are prone to show. Why not train up the TSA in this kind of thing?
Is privitization the answer? Maybe. It is a hard, cold fact that the TSA was created as a buffer for the corporations to shed their liability and create an “untouchable” solution. Don’t think so? Have you ever experienced having an item taken from a bag by the TSA? You call the airport police to report a crime (after all, it is a crime, correct?) and ask for their assistance to “investigate”, and they tell you to call the airline. Really? So United now investigates theft by the TSA? OF COURSE NOT. They ask you to submit a “claim” – which 9 times out of 10 is automatically denied – “sorry”. So the TSA is now rampant with thieves and pickpockets, being publicized all the time. TSA agents have been caught running drug rings, stealing valuables such as iphones, ipads, etc., attempting to pan themselves off as some kind of actual law enforcement official, hoarding child pornography, the list goes on and on.
American citizens trust the system that is in place to handle their bags professionally without incident, yet time and time again items are stolen or ransacked by the lower common denominator employees in the TSA and/or baggage handling. Add to it that corruption inside the TSA allows instances like the one where a testing agent allowed a TSO who failed a certification exam twice to pay him $200 to give the TSO a passing score on the exam. They have even been caught sleeping on the job.
One solution would be to establish a 2- to 3-month “boot camp” style training program that eliminates those who cannot hack the discipline to want to actually be in the agency (and let that boot camp be run by the US military – preferably the Army or Marines). Get them into more professional uniforms, and make them wear them within presentable and well kept standards. Give them the training tools to observe and detect, all the same time remaining professional. Ever go through a military checkpoint? Have you ever felt “violated” or “disrespected” by either the military sentries or private security at that checkpoint? Probably not. Instill within the TSA a discipline and standard of professionalism of what their job entails – the last line of defense before getting onto an airplane. Don’t let the TSA pull their typical stunts of trying to push their quasi-authority into “bullying” the general public to do what they want.
Oh – and get the airports and the vendors within them to comply as well. Recently I went through the airport at Washington Ronald Reagan National (DCA). When I got into the concourse (after going through security), I stopped to get a magazine and a candy bar at one of the vendors. Sitting very close to the register on sale was a box of these:
http://www.cashco1000.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=CC&Screen=PROD&Category_Code=4&Product_Code=DMM-B-CLAW-RED
How easy would it be to buy several of those and turn them into a very usable weapon on an airplane? Where is the irony that the TSA will give you a hard time about nail clippers and such when you have quasi weapons being sold INSIDE the concourses?
Want to give the TSA a good job? Seal off the baggage area and have them assist in actually checking the baggage tags with a traveler’s receipt/tag. Many third-world countries do this – you can’t leave the baggage area with your bag unless you prove it is yours. So why does the US put up with constant thievery in many of the airports? Look at the example of Chicago O’Hare – you can walk in, grab a bag, and access the public transportation system to be downtown within a short period of time. A lot of times they find abandoned (and empty) luggage downtown that was stolen from the airport. This is so easily solved but we don’t focus on the logical solution (and how easy would it be, anyway, to walk it with a bag and leave it in the luggage area?).
If you’re against the TSA, then don’t fly. It never says in the constitution that it’s your right. They are providing a service, and if you don’t like what they do then don’t associate them. America is not filled with sheep, it is filled with people who want to blame the government for everything. Its not the governments fault. Its funny that people are complaing about having more safety measures that could potentially save their lives. I bet all the people that suffered from 9/11 wish full body scanners were being used by the TSA that day. Theres always two sides to the story, and most of you never look at the bigger picture. The world is changing and your going to have to give up some of your freedom to compensate for security. I think if you’re going to bash the TSA and complain about what they are doing, then you must provide a solution to this problem. If your solution does not gurantee the same security as these body scanners and pat downs, then who are you to say anything?
@DevilsAdvocate. For a moment, I will pretend you have a serious post.
1) The Supreme COurt reaffirmed the right to travel, which includes flying, is in the 5th Amendment – part of the Consitution – and is specifically part of the liberty discussed in that Amendment.
2) The Code of Federal Regulations absolutely says “citizens have a right to traverse airspace”.
There is no need to give up freedom – we are much safer than when I was growing up with 20,000 nuclear weapons aimed at the US. Look up Cuban Missle Crisis for a real threat.
3) I will give you an alternative solution. Use metal detectors, end of story. I personally might be okay with swabbing for Explosives Detection IF they ever had a working machine, which they don’t (after spending tens of millions of dollars). Others might now want explosives swabbing…and I would agree we don’t need it.
My solution has proven equally effective in 40+ years of testing, as there have been the same number of suicidal airline passengers with working non-metallic bombs before the scanners and after the scanners – zero since 1962. So, the scanners have not measurably improved security.
LOL, your ignorance is amazing. You really believe that the threats that were faced 40 years ago are the same as those faced today? And your saying that a non-metallic non-working bomb is ok? (Shoe Bomber) I personally like to fly on aircraft without any bombs, working or non-working. The simple solution here is that everyone gets a pat-down in addition to the body scan. Don’t want the pat-down, call Greyhound or Amtrak. Stop posing your ill-informed beliefs as fact for fear that someone might believe you!
@DevilsAdvocate : Are you kidding me? So you don’t complain when they put extra sugar in your coffee? Bet you have never complain about anything!
Trust me, we complain because we expect better service, even if we only pay a dime for that service.
Better service means better way of life, as simple as that. Just because we don’t have the solution for a problem doesn’t mean it cannot be improved. If you expect everybody can blurt out a brilliant idea or solution every time there’s a problem, then this kind of issue won’t even exist, because they were genius enough to not buy that shit.
I would love to never fly. In fact, I don’t. Which is why I don’t understand why I as a taxpayer have to pay for airport security for private airline companies so they can continue to be profitable.
By the way, how many would-be bombers have been caught by the TSA since their inception? How many have been caught by alert passengers after they’ve already gotten on the plane (and past the TSA)? You should answer those questions before making implications about the TSA being effective at anything.
Actually while not stated in the constitution, the right to travel freely is a constitutional right that the Supreme court has upheld numerous times since the founding of this country. Simply saying don’t fly isn’t an option. It effectively denies Hawaiian citizens of this country the ability to travel, and taking a train, bus or driving is not a viable option when your employer say’s I need you on the other side of the country, tomorrow.
The “don’t fly” argument is very dangerous, almost on par with the “If you have nothing to hide then why worry about illegal searches”.
Sadly in this day and age, America is filled with sheep and you are one of them. You do have the right to travel freely within and out of the country. Traveling into is slightly different due to customs and immigration issues. And with the TSA spreading to Trains (including one instance that they’ve apologized for where they searched everyone getting OFF a train,) and to our highways, the “Don’t Fly” argument gets weaker and weaker.
It was never meant to really work. It was there to make money for the people that sold it. Profit for the cronies above all else. So what if a few terrorist get by it, they will pay more money for the next big scam. How about a “Psychic Terror Detection Module” some thing that is supposed to detect terrorist brain wave potential. Yeh, that’s the ticket!
So true, and the idea that if it doesn’t work they will actually be able to make more money… amazing
So to sum up —
1) Under certain conditions, the new detection technology has blind spots.
2) A good many people despise the TSA.
3) Flying has become more dehumanizing than other forms of travel but is still awfully convenient.
Alternate viewpoint —
1) Maybe the technology wasn’t really designed to detect stuff that could become weapons. Did you try to smuggle currency or precious metals? The US has been paranoid about capital flight a lot longer than it has about terrorism.
2) Privitization might work better if people had perfect memories and were willing to act on them. Subcontracting is a tried and true technique for deflecting the repercussions of mistakes — though in some cases, (the Gulf Oil Spiil), it doesn’t work as well as intended.
3) Alternatives to flying exist and will probably become more attractive as certain trends — oil prices, climate change, screw-tightening at airports, cheaper and better telepresence, fears of pandemics — manifest themselves.
HA…
If you don’t wanna get scanned, don’t fly …no one is forcing you.
Although it’s much better to be blown up in the air than have a scan done at the airport.
Point …. missed. Entirely. Let me try to explain again. The scan will not protect you against bombers because it’s trivially defeatable. No? You’re still shaking your head in confusion?
Let me say it this way: bad guy puts bomb in secret pocket sewn on with sewing kit. Bad guy gets scanned but no one can see the bomb. Bad guy blows up your plane.
Or wait, maybe even smaller words: Scanners. Don’t. Work. You’re. Not. Safer.
Still that glazed look of incomprehension. Tell you what, let’s let the grownups sort this out while you play legos in the corner. Yes, you can have a lollipop.
Hahaha …big man. So whats your plan to make the country safer?
You should have also performed a control experiment by placing the same metal container in a regular shirt pocket on your chest to see what the response would be.
So here we have a few examples, again, of the ignorant attitude and lack of understanding of what are typical, run-of-the-mill sheep.
happypopper says “if you don’t wanna get scanned, don’t fly” – typical attitude.
Duuuuuuude talks about “alternatives” to flying that exist.
and the best – DevilsAdvocate – says the typical, packaged response of “If you’re against the TSA, then don’t fly. It never says in the constitution that it’s your right.” You have never been so far from the truth. Freedom of movement is protected under United States law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_movement_under_United_States_law), and this has been recognized by the Supreme Court as a Constitutional Right.
Of the three examples, happypopper and Duuuuuuude are just plain uneducated, but DevilsAdvocate is the most dangerous, having the assumption that travel is not a right of the citizen. You, my friend, can continue to stand in the line of the sheep, while those of us who wish to be the sheep dogs will focus on what is needed to actually have safety.
You, sir, deserve SERIOUS props for posting this video and having the balls to publicly defy the TSA and DHS. Just please be careful, the US government and military have absolutely no qualms about eliminating potential threats to their multi-billion dollar terror driven scams.