Opt Out: ‘Want my pat down in public pls.’

Union Station, Washington, D.C. — Curiously, we can take trains without intrusive body searches.

Finally, an issue we can all agree on.  Seriously, it’s heartening to see the impact of public opinion.  Those that have been standing up for citizen rights across the country are already making tomorrow’s National Opt Out Day campaign a success.  Government officials are listening.  Participants, you are encouraged to ask for your pat down in public and be heard, if opting out of using the full body scanner.

What should have been a statewide story took national stage yesterday, when Secretary Janet Napolitano from the Department of Homeland Security and Senator Frank Lautenberg, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, announced the expansion of the ‘If You See Something, Say Something’ campaign across New Jersey.  The press conference turned into an explanation of situation vs. process in TSA security screening methods as much as a PR rollout.  The brainchild of the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the program will be implemented nationally in the coming months.

N.J. government officials are encouraging air travelers to ‘opt out’ tomorrow.

Federal Talking Point/Defense: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s attempt to detonate an explosive sewn to his underwear on a flight bound for Detroit from Amsterdam on Christmas Day 2010.

Fair Citizen Retort: Are these types of credible security threats coming from within our borders, or should we be focusing on security overseas?

Richard Reid, the British shoe bomber, went undetected with a similar explosive at Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris 3 days before Christmas in 2001.  He is the reason we take off our shoes, when going through airport security.

Get Involved: There are plenty of ways to get involved.  A good place to start, send a letter to Congress with a few clicks at optoutday.com site.

Other Related News:

• Yesterday, President Obama asked if there is a less intrusive method for TSA officials to conduct security screenings, while defending current procedures.

• Excerpt:  Passenger Account (see full story at newson6.com) Jennifer Pierce, News 9, YUKON, Oklahoma

Bubb said the TSA employee touched her breasts and private areas outside her clothes and then inside her pants. Bubb said she was mortified and had to leave her daughter for about 20 minutes during this process.

“It’s not a pat, it’s a rub. They grip you, and they rub going all the way down your body,” Bubb said

• Excerpt: The Entrepreneur (see full story at latimes.com) Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times; Reporting from Denver; November 23, 2010

He’s selling TSA-proof underwear

Sales have skyrocketed for a Colorado man who says he doesn’t believe the full-body airport scanners are safe. His briefs and bras are strategically emblazoned with patches made of an X-ray-repelling fabric.

Buske hit upon the idea in January after authorities said a Nigerian air passenger unsuccessfully tried to detonate a bomb in his underpants. That led the TSA to speed its deployment of full-body imaging machines across the country. Buske anticipated an inevitable backlash.

https://travelvibe.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/tsa-body-scan-will-you-say-no-nov-24th-national-opt-out-day/

TSA Body Scan: Will you say “No” Nov. 24th — National Opt Out Day?

“If you touch my junk, I’m gonna have you arrested.”

–John Tyner’s battle cry at San Diego International Airport, during an invasive pat down by a TSA screener.  And the new punchline for privacy advocates. On his YouTube video that captured the incident, we hear the overhead announcement, “Security is everyone’s responsibility,”  as Tyner dubs the phrase.

Tree Trunk — Balboa Park, SD

The instructions:  Step into the oversized, closet-like contraption.  Place your palms facing out on either side of your head so that your arms are about parallel with your shoulders.  Spread your legs shoulder length apart.  Now hold still…

If there is any confusion, look around, and you’ll probably see a cutout type drawing that will illustrate the position to assume.

“Is this safe?  How much radiation am I taking in?” I asked with a friendly smile, as I stepped into the box a few months ago at Nashville International Airport.

“You are getting more radiation by using your cell phone than going through this machine,”  the TSA screener responded, equally amicable.

Questions most are asking:  Is it safe for my health? Does it violate my privacy rights?

In the News:

• San Diego, Calif — Monday, 32-year-old local resident, John Tyner, posted a YouTube video of his probing pat down, after refusing a full body scanner and body search at San Diego International Airport.  In the video, Tyner offers to go through the metal detector on several occasions and apologizes “for the hassle” following the TSA screener’s pat down.  He cancelled his American Airlines’ flight and is now being investigated by TSA.  Irony?  The clip has received more than 50,000 hits as of this morning. “If I don’t do it, nobody will,” Tyner says in the video.

• New Jersey — Lawmakers are asking airport passengers to refuse the body scan for “National Opt Out Day” on Wednesday, November 24th, one of the busiest travel days.

• Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, two pilots filed a federal suit against the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, alleging that the full body scans and pat downs are a violation of their Fourth Amendment Rights (protects against unreasonable search and seizure).

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