Anatomical ridicule raises body-scanning concerns

[William769]

Full-body scanning machines may reveal a little too much, if an incident of workplace violence this week among Transportation Security Administration screeners is any indication.

A TSA worker at Miami International Airport in Florida was arrested for allegedly assaulting a co-worker who had repeatedly teased him about the size of his genitals.

The insults stemmed from an X-ray of the accused captured during a training exercise with the airport's full-body scanning machines, the report said.

Rolando Negrin "stated he could not take the jokes anymore and lost his mind," allegedly striking the victim with a police baton. According to the report, a witness heard Negrin say in Spanish, "get on your knees or I will kill you and you better apoligise ."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/05/06/tsa.scanner.assault/index.html?hpt=T3

I'm speechless.

[dflprincess]

1. And these are the people keeping us safe when we fly

:shrug:

[William769]

2. Luckily I gave up flying 20 years ago.

[Webster Green]

5. Ditto.

I have no desire to fly anymore. Thankfully, I have no need fly.

I remember flying barefoot and tripping on acid. Times have changed. :hippie:

[howaboutme]

12. When was the last time

that the "elite" such as Blankfein CEO of Goldman and the other fortune 500 CEO's had to suffer the humiliation like cattle going through chutes at Kansas City waiting to be probbed, prodded and now scanned.

The answer: The elite fly on their own private planes using subsidies from the commercial tickets, and taxes of the peons who must travel by commercial "Ordeal Air". This ordeal wouldn't be acceptable if the elite still had to travel that way. Instead the minions and regular flyers are forced to subsidize the cost of their private aircraft, the FAA functions, build and run general aviation airports and runways. It is another example how the USA is run for the elite.

[Echo In Light]

4. These are the dupes who buy into police state tactics/propaganda of the corp/state nexus

[damntexdem]

11. Hey, don't worry -- they'll be too busy joking about our bodies ...

to hit us with batons.

[tavalon]

19. Of course not

These are the performers hired to make it look like they are protecting you. I'm not sure if they are the dogs or the ponies but it is most definitely a dog and pony show. We are no more, nor less safe in the air than we were on Sept 11th. It isn't possible to make flying completely safe from terrorism and even if it were, that isn't really on the agenda. If it were, UPS packages and other cargo that flies with us would be scanned and they aren't, so..............

[dflprincess]

20. I should have added the sarcasm tag as well

I agree with everything you said about this being a dog & pony show.

We're also in a situation where people who are not making a whole lot of money have been put in a position of having a certain amount of power over others that they use arbitrarily. You know how they are about liquids? I heard a story from a friend about one of her diabetic patients going through security with her insulin kit (legal to do) and the TSA dweeb demanding that she give herself a shot of it to prove it was insulin (apparently he wouldn't believe it was medicine until she went into shock). Fortunately a supervisor with half a brain was nearby, stopped it and let the passenger through.

[tavalon]

21. Wow, that's quite the story!

My husband usually asks me to sedate myself before we go through security. I have a hard time playing the role of supplicating hopeful passenger. In other words, I am a smart ass and often spout off when it isn't to my benefit. You should see me coming back from Canada - I have stiff middle finger problem.

[bobbolink]

3. Why speechless? What is the surprise?

You really think verbal violence is rare?

You think verbal violence doesn't damage people?

You think DU is any different?

What is the surprise?

[William769]

6. I'm speechless that we are even having to have this debate.

Never said that I was surprised tho.

[bobbolink]

8. I don't understand why.

Its not like there is agreement on DU about ugly confrontive speech.

Happens all the time here.

It is considered a triumph to verbally defeat someone.

Same/same

[William769]

9. Sorry you lost me.

[bobbolink]

10. Yeah, I know... its hard to realize that the same verbal violence among "progressives"

does the same damage.

[howaboutme]

14. I see your point.

I agree that there are people out there, who thrive on putting others down for the fun and power of it. It is called verbal abuse, bullying or having a mean streak, and the perp's political ideology is irrelevant to that behavior. It comes from all kinds.

[bobbolink]

15. Exactly. The process is the same... the bullying of another. Doesn't matter the

specific content.... in this case "anatomical".

The process, the damage to the other person, is the same.

Nothing will change until "progressives" grasp this in terms of how they treat "the other".

Thank you for being willing to see it.

:yourock:

[howaboutme]

16. Best motto

for any people or society is the "do onto others as I would have them do unto me" (i.e. Golden Rule). It would go far to eliminate politics if it was a universal belief.

[seabeyond]

17. i know the intent but that saying doesnt work. what i want done onto me may offended, hurt, bother

another.

we have line of civility drawn. manners. use them

i dont care if you say happy bday, mother day. another may be hurt if i dont. so i dont do unto them as i would have done unto me.... i do what they want me to do unto them

[chillspike]

22. i agree

dude, shouldn't have went there. just basic knowledge.

[Me.]

7. Size Does Matter It Seems

When it comes to scans. It would be hilarious if all the gung ho types for these machines changed their minds because of issues regarding size.

[surrealAmerican]

13. A full body scan is not an "x-ray".

Doesn't anyone proofread these things?

[eppur_se_muova]

18. The new machines being introduced use backscattered X-rays ...

so, no, it's not an "X-ray" in the usual sense (it also uses much longer wavelength X-rays, which are less hazardous). But it's easy to see the potential confusion.