I haven’t flown the friendly American skies since last summer. Back then airport security was relatively tame:
- Remove your shoes
- Store all liquids in a clear plastic bag
- Place your laptop in a separate bin for scanning, etc.
All of the above were a part of a standard operating procedure list that was non offensive. No where in that list were calls for forced radioactive scanning or invasive agent groping. My how the times have changed.
Flying out of San Diego’s Lindbergh Field this past week, I found myself a bit apprehensive over being subjected to the new TSA rules. In the back of my mind I kept hoping that somehow the backscatter x-ray technology had not been deployed yet. I was wrong in getting my hopes up. Upon entering the security line, I noticed a sign that said that I could either be scanned or be “thoroughly” searched by a TSA Agent. The word “thoroughly” looked scary to me for some reason. So I opted for a small dose of radiation via the backscatter.

Stepping forward in the security line, I proceeded into the x-ray. After turning sideways, raising my hands up over my head, and holding that pose for 8 seconds, I was asked to proceed forward to where an agent was standing. As I stood face-to-face with this particular TSA Agent, I was trying to figure out what was wrong. Had they found something? Perhaps my wife had cut me open one night and inserted something beneath my skin. Nope, no such luck. The agent was simply waiting to get an all clear from the monitoring station. I was good to go.
I walked away from this experience feeling violated. Someone, besides my wife, had seen me without my clothes on. Not cool. This got me thinking about how we, as Americans, have come to a place to where we have to be radiated and groped in the name of security. We all know that this method has never actually stopped a bomb. Why subject millions of Americans to such Communist practices? I think that airport security needs to be rethought. Be it profiling, hiring well-trained interrogators/ interviewers, I don’t really care. Being humiliated by a government agency is not what being an American is all about. So rise up America, demand that something be done to stop this practice. Call for a halt to legal radiation dosing and TSA Agent groping. Please. To allow this to become a norm is a travesty for both you and me.


