Sunday, November 21, 2010

What Scientists Really Think About the New TSA Naked Scanning Machines

Scientists with the University of California at San Francisco were so worried that they wrote a letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology in April, 2010 raising "a number of red flags" on the scanners' safety.

The "red flags" raised by these scientists are absolutely shocking and clearly expose the propaganda being put out by the TSA that these machines are safe.

Below is that letter.
 
 

5 comments:

  1. The key point from this letter is that no experimental data exists on the airport scanners to make an informed decision. The government is assuming that the back scatter radiation is equivalent to medical x-ray radiation, and hence there is minimal health hazard. These scientists point out that this is a hypothesis that needs testing, but that no testing has been done.

    If you enjoy being a guinea pig in a major experiment, head to airport and go through the new scanners.

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  2. Or if you need some intimate personal contact with another friendly human, refuse the scanner.

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  3. Maybe I missed earlier publication of this letter on the Internet, but if so it was very low key. All I read was vague reference to "scientists questioning the safety". This letter is very specific and deserved immediate response from the addressee and widespread publication of both.

    What response, if any, did the writers of this letter dated April 6 2010 (my 65th birthday, BTW) receive from John P Holden, advisor to the President for Science and Technology?

    How many and which federal government officials are submitting to this scanning every time they fly? And having their family members do so also? I expect that most (?all?) get walked around security entirely on commercial flights (John Boehner on 11/19/10 - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/us/politics/20boehner.html) or they take special military flights (President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and who knows how many others).

    What is lost is why all this mostly "security theater" was initiated and is ever increasing. Consider the *reasons* why flights into certain areas may carry with them more risk – why travel to/within the USA has more potential for “terrorist activity” than, for instance, to/within Switzerland (when not from USA). I don’t think there are terrorists out to wreak havoc on the Swiss people… their government hasn’t been out dictating to and/or invading most of the rest of the world. Instead, the US government has made itself “al-Qaeda’s top recruiter”.

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  4. Little known fact: Intimate TSA pat-downs count as "action." Check your Owner's Manual.

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  5. Thanks for that, Kelvin. I wondered how I was EVER going to score! ;)

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