[quote]Yes, the government must be watched for abuses, and must establish its own oversight, but that does not mitigate the government’s responsibility to do what it can to prevent further murders, and being in public by choice in a targeted location means everyone needs to be checked, then so be it. Just like they do federal buildings, just like they do at random checkpoints on the roads. And yes, there is a viewing by a trained screener (again with the training) of outlines of body parts, but no one else sees it - you’re not stripped in public, for example - and personal shyness on one person who can see an outline doesn’t seem like a good enough reason not to use the better scanners if they have enough of a technical benefit.
[/quote]
But that’s the thing. Where is the proof - the evidence, that these scanners are better or more effective than a pat down? If there was conclusive evidence that they were more effective - that they will cut down security clearance times and that they could enhance airport security, then I’d be all for them. But the fact is, there is not enough evidence to justify bringing these expensive machines in.
And then what’s going to happen when a terrorist sneaks a bomb onto an aircraft which is hidden down his throat, or in his rectal cavity? One thing leads to another, and before we know it, you mark my words, we will be told of the need to be x-rayed before we board a flight.
In my opinion, there is no substitute for dogs - it’s almost impossible to get trace gunpowder past their noses, let alone explosives.
This really is getting beyond the ridicuous.
Whether these scanners are brought in or not, we will see another terrorist atrocity involving aircraft unless the world’s pollitical situation suddenly improves. This is now a fact of life.
What most people don’t seem to realise is that it is the general public who are losing out again. The terrorists win because they have succeeded in installing fear into the travelling population and causing chaos, largely through our own governments and media institutions. The governments win because they make money. War = money - it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book.
The losers are the endless lines of people who gradually have their rights to travel curbed, their free time taken up and their civil liberties violated.
It’s not that I really care about being the act of being screened - it’s the principles that this is based upon which irks me.