Several physician & scientist friends of mine and I have been back and forth with each other about this over the last couple weeks. We have all, 100% (which is rare in this group of strong-minded and very independent friends), concluded we will all opt out of the backscatter radiation scans and will encourage our families to do likewise. Being groped by TSA is unpleasant and little children being groped by TSA is profoundly worse, but better suffer through the inappropriate touch than be subjected to participation in a massive ill-conceived cancer experiment. That is what this is, ultimately.
The security procedures currently in place even with these backscatter radiation machines are ineffective (follow the money to find out why the expensive machines are being advanced so aggressively) so this does not actually accomplish the goal of making air travel safe. Moreover, whichever set of numbers one uses for radiation levels of properly calibrated and functioning machines (the numbers have varied depending on who did the measurements) everyone acknowledges there will be one or more cases of cancer resulting for every X people through the machines; the quibble is about the rate, not whether it will happen or not. Myself, even if the rate is only one in 30 million then --given the machines serve no actual constructive purpose anyway-- I'd rather not spend billions of dollars on machines to irradiate and eventually kill people for nothing, whether it is ten people or thousands who develop cancers. In the case of people making multiple trips through the machines, malfunctioning machines, and other predisposing factors (compromised immune system, previous cancer,
et cetera) nobody knows what the outcome will be. As they have no idea, no clue, not based on any evidence.
Instead of people passing through these machines, an apt cartoon might show a steady stream of oblivious experimental guinea pigs, lab mice, and sheep (how about it, Tom?) Years down the road the data
will come in on this massive experiment; it may show these radiation exposures figuring much more sharply than anticipated in causing cancers. Remember how smoking was safe, we were assured? Right.
As to how best to deal with inappropriate behavior on the part of the TSA, there is a great of useful information, news via links, and commentary in the first fifteen discussion strands at the
Privacy and Civil Rights tribe site:
http://civil-liberties.tribe.net/
Though I will opt for a groping when it comes to it rather than the radiation bath, I am avoiding flying as much as I can -mainly because I am afraid I will lose my temper and be arrested, fined, and be banned from flying for speaking my mind. Good luck with your upcoming travel!
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Baby Hummingbird
http://wimp.com/babyhummingbird
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