TSA News Roundup

I didn't have time this week to write commentary on each of these pieces. So I'll just include them all here with a brief intro to each.

• A test of the scanners revealed that they were emitting ten times more radiation than expected. But - not to worry - they are sure it is a math error, not an actual error in the scanners. So they'll keep testing them until they get the answer they wanted. I feel safer already!

• Becky Akers had a great column on the TSA dog-training program. She really hits the nail on the head about why this is creepy.

• Suspicious package closes airport for 7 hours. Need I say more?

• A passionate letter to the editor from a father about his daughter's ordeal with her children at the airport due to inane TSA policies and general airport bullying.

• Sharon Cissna went to Washington. I was not impressed.

• Is PHL the worst airport for TSA excesses? Nope - they're all equally horrible!

• An update on Aaron Tobey - the literate college student who was detained for having the 4th Amendment written on his chest last fall (it couldn't have been because he was only wearing his skivvies, since that's what the scanners see anyway!).

What the TSA says about scanner-proof underwear

The TSA posted on it's blog that if you wear garments through the scanners that obstruct the technician's view of your naked body, that you will be patted down. From what I understand of post-scanner pat-downs, they focus only on the anomalous area. Note that these garments are being marketed as blocking a person's most private parts, so the implication is that the subsequent pat-down would be focused on breasts, buttocks, and genitals.

The owner of one of the companies that makes these supposedly scanner-proof garments, Marc Carey, is a lawyer, so it is interesting to read his response to this. Of course, he wants to sell more of his product, but there is an interesting legal point he is making:

"I can't imagine a member of the Supreme Court saying in a published decision that in order to board an airplane you have to grant a government official permission to grope your genitals," Carey says.

"The TSA can not be talking about our products (in the blog), Carey adds. "I consider this an endorsement."

But, then again, Dave Barry was already selected for a groping due to his abnormal groin and the policy didn't come to a halt.

Kill them with humor

Stephan Kinsella and Mike Rozeff urge the use of humor in battling the TSA. Here's a great example: a traveler who was fed up with emptying his pockets now just takes off his pants and puts them through the scanner. Underneath, he's got underwear with a sarcastic message ("I <heart> TSA").

For those of you who plan to opt-out next time, here's my twist on it. When the TSO starts the "We've got an opt-out" echo, start stripping. You can have a bathing suit on so that there's no way you'll get an indecency citation. Or maybe get a message printed on your undies. The "I <heart> TSA" is great because it can't possibly be construed as offensive. Other possibilities are "Frisk me for freedom" or "I love a good pat-down." Please share your ideas in the comments.