Ok, I'm going to vent against the morons who decided to put in the whole body imagers into airports. As everyone knows, the whole body imager is a reaction to the failed Christmas day bombing attempt against a Northwest (Delta) flight coming in from Amsterdam. Most people are complaining about this because of the privacy concerns. Honestly though, I can understand that the TSA is trying to protect the public. What really concerns me is the fact that as a frequent traveler I might be forced to go through these ridiculous imaging systems and have an additional health risk involved just by traveling.
There are two types of imagers, one is a millimeter wave type scanner, and the other is based on backscatter X-rays. In both cases, these use ionization radiation to basically do a strip search of you to make sure you aren't carrying on any dangerous items. I know that the governments who employ these are saying they're safe, but I'm sure the guys who are making the decisions aren't getting X-rayed every time they go flying. And I for one don't like the thought of having more radiation on me than I'm already subjected to when I fly normally or go through a doctor's office.
The only practical solution for me is to make sure I get into the metal detector line if possible. I will definitely opt out of the scanner if I am stuck in one of those lines. Invasive procedure of not, I'd take my chances with a TSA personnel rather than having to go through these scanners. I figure both are about the same in terms of really ensuring my immediate safety while flying.
Finally, as a father, I will not ever have my child be subjected to these types of imaging systems. If she goes flying, I will make sure that she is never stuck having to go through one of these machines. There is a definite difference between a loss of dignity versus a the potential risk for cancer later on in life. For a traveler like me at least, the choice is clear.
No comments:
Post a Comment