Wednesday, October 14, 2009

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety...

...deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Some words attributed to Benjamin Franklin that ring ever truer with each passing day in our once great Nation. If you've been reading at all, you've likely heard of the new scanner they want to use at airports. It bounces energy off of you to essentially form a relatively detailed image of your shape underneath your clothes. Yes, it can detect things that a metal detector can not, it can also show your 'junk' to an airport screener in a room. But don't worry, those "ultra professionals" in TSA will immediately delete the image. Promise.

'Naked' scanner in airport trial

If perchance you haven't heard of it, or you've seen the sanitized images in our media, perhaps this will better illustrate my point.



But remember, this is just a reduced for web, small image. Imagine this full sized, splashed across the screen.

All of this is older news, however, what rekindled my irritation is the absolute sheep responding to this article at the bottom. Yes, they're British, and therefore have been conditioned from birth to suckle at the tit of the nanny state, but still, you'd expect a little more spine from human beings.

Or perhaps not.

If it meant that as passengers we were more secure and also meant we didn't have to go through the added hassle of undressing then I can't see why people would complain, especially given the authorities assurances that the images are destroyed.
Steven Todd, Glasgow

Destroyed? Absoutely sir! We always destroy...err...what's that on YouTube? Is that Halley Barry?

I think it would be very embarrassing to go throughout the scanner. But if it is going to keep us safe from terrorists then it is worth it and essential. I'm sure the person seeing the images will see so many every day that they will not be in the least bit interested in our naked bodies.
Roy Woolnough, Watford

Sure Roy. They'll be happy to point and fall out of their chair laughing at your tiny...ahem.

I'd rather have this, than be fully searched. If it speeds up check in, and makes travelling less stressful, bring it on. I think because of the amount of unnecessary surveillance we appear to be subject to, good ideas get a little too much criticism when they arrive.
Eddie, Edinburgh

Sure Eddie, anything for the children, I mean air travelers eh? Hey, did you know that you can hide explosives in your rectum? Bend over and pass me the lube!

You know, why don't we just start putting one of these on every street corner and make people utilize them to pass by on the sidewalk. You want to be safe, don't you?

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Current Quote

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." – Thomas Jefferson