Is being patted down for weapons "un-American"? So a recent letter to the editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune claimed. A huge controversy has erupted over plans to do full body scanning and thorough physical pat downs of travellers as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. Some argue that such procedures are shabby substitutes for what political correctness forbids: ethnic profiling. Others argue that such procedures are a small inconvenience compared to the dangers of terrorism. Interesting questions of probability lurk here, such as the level of danger of repeated x-rays vs. the probability of being on a plane with an armed terrorist. Click on
this link to read one of the many recent stories about this controversy.
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This is not a problem for me. I have passed through these machines many of times and the people outside can't see anything. I prefer passing through the machine than getting all touched. Here you pass and go. In the private pat down they even start asking you stuff about the trip. I would feel more uncomfortable if they did a pat down right there in front of everyone.
ReplyDeleteI have always had to be 'patted down' on airplane trips; physically, they're not as invasive as some horror stories would say they are. (However, it could be I've just been lucky with the type of TSA agents that do it.)
ReplyDeleteHowever I strongly object to any kind of invasive procedure on a moral basis as it sets up some really scary precedents for the government - who's to say that they won't set up highway or public checkpoints now? Arming (and training) pilots and flight attendants would scare away any potential terrorists, and would still keep our rights intact.
(by the way, the above comment was written by Elizabeth Sweat. I don't want to create yet another google profile just to write comments, sorry.)
ReplyDeleteIf it increases my security I don't mind it. There are so many people going through a full body scan that I don't think they focus on one single person's appearance and other passengers cannot see any of the pictures.
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