Monday, November 15, 2010

Hooked on a feeling

Remember the uproar brought forth by leftists and the ACLU over President George W. Bush's Terrorist Surveillance Program? The common demagoguery was that the Bush administration was "spying on Americans" with "illegal wiretaps." IT'S AN INVASION OF PRIVACY I TELL YOU!!!!

My only question now is where is the outrage from the aforementioned parties regarding the airport screening process of the Transportation Security Administration? You mean to tell me that full body scans and/or groping American citizens isn't an "invasion of privacy" in the left's perverted world?

In response to a video of a California man's dispute with airport security officials, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday it tries to be sensitive to individuals, but everyone getting on a flight must be screened.

The video, in which software engineer John Tyner refuses an X-ray scan at the San Diego, California, airport, has sparked a debate over screening procedures.

Tyner told CNN on Sunday that he was surprised to see so many people take an interest in his refusal and the dispute with airport screeners that followed it. But he said he hoped the video will focus attention on what he calls a government invasion of privacy.

"Obviously, everybody has their own perspective about their personal screening," TSA administrator John Pistole told CNN. "The question is, how do we best address those issues ... while providing the best possible security?"

Tyner, 31, said his hunting trip to South Dakota was cut short before it even started Saturday morning -- when TSA agents asked him to go through an X-ray machine.

"I don't think that the government has any business seeing me naked as a condition of traveling about the country," Tyner said.

Pistole said the agency is "trying to be sensitive to individuals issues and concerns," but added, "the bottom line is, everybody who gets on that flight has been properly screened."

The cell phone video Tyner recorded of his arguments with security screeners over the scan and pat-down they proposed had garnered than 200,000 hits on YouTube by Monday afternoon.

Tyner said that after he declined the body scan, a TSA agent told him he could have a pat-down instead. Once the procedure was described, Tyner said he responded, "If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested."


But you don't understand, Mr. Tyner. If the TSA can't touch your genitalia, it means the terrorists have won.

The truth is, the terrorist surveillance program (which President Barack Obama has maintained, by the way) has been far more effective at thwarting terrorism than has any TSA methods.

In fact, the only good thing to come of this unfortunate incident with Mr. Tyner is the spawning of some potential TSA slogans (via Twitter).

"I'm not a doctor but I play one on CCTV."

"Feds with benefits."

"You can't see London, you can't see France unless we see your underpants."


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2 comments:

RobertDWood said...

Thank you for reposting those twitter comments, they brought a smile in the morning.

Night Writer said...

Can't wait for one of the TSA handlers to accidentally flash back to his last job while groping me and ask, "you want fries with that?"