The recent beginning of full-body scanning and "enhanced" body pat-downs at out nation's airports is wrong on every possible level and  Congress needs to make a quick end to this outrage.  Because the Transportation Security Administration has demonstrated that they will not change these procedures, only the President or Congress can fix this situation.

So, just how many levels is this new system wrong on?  Firstly, it is patently unconstitutional, as an obvious infringement of the 4th Amendment, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated..."  There is absolutely no way to characterize the search of every single person boarding an airplane as a "reasonable" search.  It was bad enough when the search was only of our effects, but now extending it to each person's body is unconscionable! There is also no way to characterize a person or his effects as remaining secure, when subject to such invasive search.  Instead, our government has now instituted a "guilty until proven innocent" system.

Secondly, as if a second were even necessary, the procedures are simply ludicrous when applied to the airplanes' crews.  If the crew is not already vetted as no security risk, we're in far more trouble than any last-minute search can ever overcome!  For goodness sake, any pilot can crash any plane at any time without bringing additional items onboard.

Thirdly, it appears  our government is now willing to harm millions of its own citizens by subjecting the general public to the possible health hazards of the radiation.  Because the backscatter machines use low-energy X-rays, most of the radiation is absorbed by the skin and doesn't penetrate the body, as medical X-rays do.  University of California at San Francisco faculty members wrote to Dr. John Holdren, assistant to President Obama for science and technology, noting that even though the scanners use a relatively low beam, "the dose to the skin may be dangerously high."  This could raise the risk of skin cancer or sperm mutations, especially in frequent flyers. Other concerns involve cancer patients, children, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system, all of whom are more vulnerable to radiation risks. And, can you imagine the resulting legal proceedings and cost if it is ever found, or even loudly asserted in science or the news, that the radiation has caused bodily harm to people? 

Fourthly, the new procedures will likely be useless.  Review of past terrorist acts and apprehended attempted terrorists shows two things. One, that they are constantly trying new ideas, so focusing our time, money and efforts at "fighting the last war" is a poor strategy. Also, most that have been caught have been done so by old-fashioned good police and/or intelligence work.  Some have only been caught AFTER eluding whatever "safeguards" were currently in place anyway.   The TSA should do something worthwhile by focusing on people MOST likely to be a problem, instead of continuing to make-believe that everyone is an equal risk. They need actual, on-site human decision-making  instead of a set of bureaucratic, "one-size-fits-no-one" rules.

Fifthly, the possibility for instant and/or long-lasting personal trauma is great.  Outside of this system, anyone found touching children in the manner of the pat-downs would simply be arrested and tried for sexual contact with a minor!  This type of touching is exactly what we constantly warn our children against from strangers, and allowing it invites long-term psychological problems.  Do we now want to explain to our children that, "No stranger can touch or see your private area, unless it's a government employee, then it's OK."  And, consider that some people cannot raise their hands as required, without injury.  Or that some people who have experienced previous sexual abuse are now being subjected to repeat the experience.

And let's not even mention the billions of dollars that will be spent on the new equipment.

If you believe this new system needs to change, you are not alone.  Many organizations have begun to fight back.  Privacy groups such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center are seeking a court order to halt the use of the scanners, saying they are illegal and violate passenger privacy. They also say the government has done little to ensure that images taken by the devices are not saved, though the TSA has asserted that the machines cannot store pictures.  You can read the TSA's information sheet on the scanners, which includes locations where they are currently deployed, at the Transportation Security Adminstration's website.  Others opposing the new TSA procedures include the American Civil Liberties Union, conservative groups such as the Rutherford Institute, and unions representing airline pilots and other employees.  And Geoff Freeman, an executive vice president of the U.S. Travel Association, notes, "We have received hundreds of e-mails and phone calls from travelers vowing to stop flying."

Just in case you think this is much ado about nothing, consider where we may end up if the government's "search everyone" attitude is left unchecked,  It would only be a simple step for the government to attempt to extend similar procedures to places other than airports.  If this is allowed to stand, what safeguards could there possibly be against similar search when boarding a train, a bus, entering a building, or even on the streets of any city, at any time?  As reported in Forbes Magazine, similar scaners are already rolling out on the streets in some cities.  It's also closer to home than you may want to admit.  For years you've had to pass through metal detectors just to enter the Saginaw County Courthouse!  Think they couldn't decide to "upgrade"?

For more information, you can read the article about the event that spawned the reports.  You can sign a petition to stop the use of these techniques.  If you're flying, you can join the National Opt-Out Day movement.  And most of all, you can contact your Congressmen and Senators, and even the President.  Strangely, you cannot directly e-mail Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, as her website does not have an e-mail address for her.
Senator Carl Levin: http://levin.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Debbie Stabenow: http://stabenow.senate.gov/
Congressman Dave Camp: http://camp.house.gov/
Congressman Dale Kildee: http://kildee.house.gov/
President Barack Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact