Friday, July 23, 2010

No Perv-Scanner, please. We'll drive.

#1 Son and I are off to Atlanta. We're driving instead of flying - all 1000 miles - not just to save money but also because it avoids the non-lethal dose of X-Rays that bombard you when you go through the airport PervScan™ Full Body Scanners.

We were told that the scanners couldn't store pictures. Of course, they could, and so then we were told that they wouldn't store your picture. Ooooh kaaaay.

New UK rules have been issued concerning the scanners, and people are not reassured:

Also I think the code is misleading when it tells passengers that they have a choice – they can either “be scanned” or “not fly”. I don’t believe this to be the relevant choice. For instance, suppose an individual tries to get on a plane and is selected for random scanning. Suppose further that the individual refuses to be scanned for whatever reason. Do you think that the refusal to be scanned would be the end of it?

To provide an extreme example: do you really think that someone who might be a terrorist who has opted-out of a scan because he might be discovered will merely be escorted away from the secure passenger side of the airport and let go?

Nope! I think any refusal to be scanned would result in close scrutiny of that individual and anybody remotely “suspicious” would be searched. And if the security people are then going to search “suspects” and find nothing, why can’t the searched individual then go on to fly?

I think the whole proposition in the code is based on a fallacy. The option is not between “be scanned” or “don’t fly” - the only real option is between “be scanned” or “be searched”.

About right. So we'll drive, thankee very much. Even if it is a long way to Richmond ...

5 comments:

  1. The journey is more important than the destination, anyway. I've always thought the odds of seeing something cool on a plane, vs. in a car, are pretty small.

    See the USA, in your Chevrolet... Dinah knew of what she spoke :)

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  2. I've just come back from a good long road trip (Chicago!) with my Heiresses. I thought it'd be a challenege, it turned out to be one of the Best Things We've Done.

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  3. Where else can you travel and eat bags of junk food, and annoy only the chosen few (or one) in the small, confined area such as a car? It's the American way, after all. My dog just succeeded at his first road trip, though he surely wonders where the dog park was, as to him it was like a long ride around the block.lol Of course, I personally do not eat bags of junk food or annoy other passengers. :D


    Have a safe trip!

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  4. I'd do the drive just so I could sit in the back and eat a meal with real metal flatware, sharp knife and all.

    Jim

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  5. Sometime those naked body scanners can be entertaining. If you request a manual pat-down they must provide that instead of making you go through the scanner which is where the fun begins.

    During the entire pat down smile and constantly say little phrases like, "Ohh that's nice" and "a little lower please."

    Do note I'm not responsible if following my advice gets you extra special security screening.

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