Thursday, December 22, 2011

Here Comes "Drive-By" Naked Imaging

American Science and Engineering, Inc has developed a mobile version of those naked imaging, cancer causing, backscatter machines that are used at airports. Yes, Homeland Security will soon be able to cruise down your street and check out what is really going on under your clothes. This is from the AS&E web site:
A breakthrough in X-ray detection technology, AS&E's Z Backscatter Van™ (ZBV) is a low-cost, extremely maneuverable screening system built into a commercially available delivery van. The ZBV allows for immediate deployment in response to security threats, and its high throughput capability facilitates rapid inspections. The system's unique "drive-by" capability allows one or two operators to conduct X-ray imaging of suspect vehicles and objects while the ZBV drives past.


The ZBV can also be operated in stationary mode* by parking the system and producing X-ray images of vehicles as they pass by. Screening can also be accomplished remotely while the system is parked. Remote operation allows scanning to be done safely, even in dangerous environments, while maintaining low-profile operation. The system is unobtrusive, as it maintains the outward appearance of an ordinary van.

According to AS&E, Saudia Arabia has already ordered one of the machines as has an "African country".

For the record, it should be noted that the Chairman of AS&E, Denis Brown, worked at ITT Corporation holding senior positions as Division General Manager and Vice President, ITT Corporation and Chief Executive of the Defense and Space Group from 1970 to 1985. He served as a U.S. Naval Officer from 1962 to 1969. Mr. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in Slavic languages from the University of California and a bachelor’s degree in communications engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California.

Another member of the Board is (Four Star) General John A. Gordon (USAF, Ret.), who has been a director of AS&E since November 2008, and has served on the company’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee since January 2006. General Gordon served in the White House as the President’s Homeland Security Advisor from June 2003 to June 2004 and as the Deputy National Security Advisor for Counter Terrorism and the National Director for Counter Terrorism from June 2002 to June 2003. General Gordon was the first administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration and Undersecretary of Energy, responsible for the entirety of the nation’s nuclear weapons program, serving from June 2000 to June 2002. Additionally, he served as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency from 1997 to 2000 and as Associate Director of Central Intelligence for Military Support from 1996 to 1997.

Yes, the military-industrial-homeland-security complex is alive and cashing checks, while looking through your pants.

(htJohnFrahm)

6 comments:

  1. This is dangerous to the health of the operators of that equipment and those of us unlucky enough to get zapped. This goes beyond the violation of our human rights against warrantless searches; it is also aggression against our physical well being by getting exposed to high levels of X-Ray radiation!
    Look at some of the example X-Rays on their website:

    http://www.as-e.com/products_solutions/image_library.asp

    For the X-Ray to “see” inside a passing car, the radiation has to have enough energy to go through the metal of the concealing van, the metal of the target car, bounce off the material and come back through the metal of the target car on the return path, and through the metal of the concealing van! That is a whole lot more radiation energy than airport detector backscatter devices. It’s also a lot more than a typical medical X-Ray! This rises to the level of reckless endangerment! For those of us unlucky enough to get a drive-by zap, we’ll suffer an increased likelihood of developing cancer. For the poor saps operating the equipment, I’m guessing this is enough radiation to induce acute radiation sickness after a short period of time.
    God I hope I’m wrong, but I fear I’m correct. If I am right, the operators of these devices will get sick and some will even die, and it will happen fast enough that cause and effect will be obvious. I wasn’t able to find on their website how much X-Ray radiation is emitted by this drive-by death trap, but that is the question I would ask if I were a reporter looking for a sensational story.

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  2. Every police department and city should have these asap, imagine how many criminals would be caught and how much pre-crime and pre-murders would be prevented.. Drugs, weapons, money, and criminal activity could be seen in vehicles and one persons without the them ever even knowing anyone was searching.

    This is genius! Finally we'll all be safe!

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  3. Why am I reminded of "V for Vendetta"?

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  4. Who will be the first to profit from producing clothes that reflect this radiation?

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  5. I'm thinking of roadside bombs being triggered by cheap X-ray detectors... but I'm just a professional paranoid.

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  6. Ah, good old American innovation...

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