National Opt Out Day: 5 Reasons You Should Skip the Scanner

on November 23, 2010 at 7:00 PM

The whole country is in an uproar over the TSA scanning and whether or not the choice between a peep show and the fondling of our genitalia is constitutionally appropriate.

An Internet movement called National Opt Out Day has designated Wednesday -- November 24, one of the biggest travel days of the year -- the day to tell TSA agents asking you to go in the full body scanner "I opt out." Actualy, the ideal would be not to travel at all, but if you do travel, refuse to agree to be scanned.

And while some here believe the decision to opt out means you're an idiot, it's more empowering than simply allowing these invasive and crude measures to continue.

Those simple words mean you will be subject to the "enhanced pat down" or, as the folks at Saturday Night Live said, "That's when the real fun begins ..."

If by fun they mean having your (and your loved ones') breasts and genitals groped by the gloved hand of an angry and harried TSA worker. Just the way to start Thanksgiving weekend off, right! Right?

If you have to fly -- and hopefully you don't -- opt out. Hold up the lines and make the TSA work for their money. Let them know we are serious. It will not make you an idiot. Here are some reasons to "opt out."

Protest: Sure, it's going to annoy a lot of people (and you will hear it, I'm sure), but it's the only way the TSA is going to listen. Thus far, they haven't heard the 600+ complaints the American Civil Liberties Union has received or the hundreds of articles written here and in other major publications throughout the country. They claim Israel's security measures would not work in the US because of the time it takes to get through the line (and because hiring qualified workers is more difficult), so show the TSA we mean business and that extra time in the lines isn't an excuse to strip (pun intended) us of our Fourth Amendment rights.

Health: The TSA says the airport scanners are safe, but they also said that they can't save the photos. And while it's true that the saved photos didn't come from airports, how hard is it for an underpaid, under-appreciated TSA worker to snap a photo of a woman with big boobs on his iPhone? Not hard enough, in my mind. If that seems paranoid, so be it. There have been too many stories about cops and shared photos for me to trust the same TSA workers who yell at me and my family every time we fly.

Consider this:

In April 2010, four members of the University of California faculty relayed to Dr. John P. Holdren, President Obama's Science and Technology czar, their concerns about the serious health risks posed to travelers by the whole body back scatter X-ray scanners. Dr. Sedat is a Professor Emeritus in Biochemistry and Biophysics, with expertise in imaging; Dr. Marc Sherman is an internationally well known and respected cancer expert; and Drs. David Agard and Robert Stroud are X-ray crystallographers and imaging experts.

Educate people: No matter how "idiotic" you find Opt Out Day, the reality is the people who support the new measures are wearing blinders. Think this makes us safer? Think again. The terrorists will find their own way to get through this while we are raising our hands above our heads, allowing strange people to touch our vaginas and pretending like it makes us safer. Think, people! In the race to idiocy, I will choose the people who think for themselves and who act out of rational thought, not fear, any day.

Support: Although polls suggest that most people support the new measures, those polls are misleading. According to The New York Times:

The ABC News poll also suggests that opposition to the measures is higher among those who fly regularly.

Just a thought: Maybe we should weigh their opinions heavier than those who fly a handful of times a year. My father, for instance, flies at least four times a week and he is opposed to this. I trust his thoughts more than someone who flies six times a year.

They will hear us: The protest may be obnoxious and it may take time away from busy travelers, but our voices will be heard. According to the The New York Times:

I would be surprised if the new procedures survived much past the New Year without significant modification.

And that is why protest matters.

For some, tomorrow will be an inconvenience, but for others, having their genitals fondled and their rights violated is the bigger inconvenience. If you are against the scans and the fondling, then opt out.

If you aren't, be sure to have extra time at the airport. Hopefully you will need it.

Do you think Opt Out Day is good?

Image via Facebook

About the author Sasha Brown-Worsham

can't decide whether she is a mother, writer, or runner, but is usually all three at some point each day. She has written for dozens of print magazines, newspapers, and websites. She rarely ever writes on bathroom walls.

Filed Under: airplanes, bomb threat, in the news

Comments (15)

thinline

on Nov 23, 2010 at 7:18 PM

Other than the possible health risks of a full body scan, I see no reason that we should be "opting out" of any measure to secure our safety.

The same person "opting out" will be the same person who gets upset that TSA didn't 'do enough' when someone ends up smuggling something dangerous onto a plane.

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Facebook comment from J.D. Baker

on Nov 23, 2010 at 7:39 PM

Here's what I know: - once absorbed, radiation never leaves your body, so it is in your best overall health interest to refrain from undergoing unnecessary radiological procedures. - In the regulated health setting, radiological imaging instruments are closely gauged and monitored. - the TSA does not do that, and, since higher doses of radiation lead to more clear images, the TSA might crank up the power. There is no guarantee their equipment is set correctly or working well. The more they turn up the radiation the more clearly they see… - A Google search for "accidental radiation overdose" returns 15,900 hits - no body scan for me.

Lynette

on Nov 23, 2010 at 7:50 PM

I hope that people who fly fight this! Yes I think opt out day is good!

starrsitter

on Nov 23, 2010 at 8:35 PM

Thank you for finally bringing up the 'let's listen to what people who fly a lot think' issue...My husband flies twice a week for work AND has had a brush with skin cancer. I think that if you surveyed people who really fly often (4+ times a month), they'd have a very different feeling about this that the average person.

hoticedcoffee

on Nov 23, 2010 at 10:02 PM

Opt Out Day, while certainly a pain in the ass for anyone involved, is brilliant! I saw the "idiot" blog, and had to laugh at the notion that refusing to expose yourself to unnecessary radiation and unnecessary groping would is what makes you an idiot. Idiotic to refuse to give up your rights to privacy regarding your body, the bodies and minds of our children, eldery, infirm, mentally challenged....yeah, definitely idiotic.

I heard a talk radio host today comment that TSA agents receive only 5 hours of training before being let loose on the public. 5 hours!!! That's all it takes to be "qualified" to run your hands all over your body, your kids' bodies, and take your x-ray.

I don't think we need to wait for another incident to figure out the TSA doesn't do enough, since what they do now is utterly useless and barbaric.

Facebook comment from Lynda Reed

on Nov 23, 2010 at 10:21 PM

Opt out absolutely. There's radiation, an invasion of privacy, also touching private parts of children and people in wheelchairs. Exposing children to pornography. If they're so worried about security how did 30 million illegal aliens get into the country? Please let's all stick together on this people and not give in to the tyranny. Get the facts from Alex Jones at infowars.com

Nonmember comment from monica

on Nov 24, 2010 at 1:28 AM

Just because you don't support the new measures, that does not mean you must support opt out day. Opt out day is COMPLETELY illogical ... scanners and pat-downs would be better protested by other means. Opt Out day is asking travelers to choose the pat-down over the scanner, which it seems you do realize. As you said, "Those simple words mean you will be subject to the enhanced pat down." Yet you go on to say, "If by fun they mean having your ... breasts and genitals groped by the gloved hand of an angry and harried TSA worker. Just the way to start Thanksgiving weekend off, right! Right?" So you acknowledge that it's miserable but you're asking people to do it?! And this is making a statement how? Then you say, "The terrorists will find their own way to get through this while we are raising our hands above our heads, allowing strange people to touch our vaginas and pretending like it makes us safer." Again, you do understand that Opt Out means opting out of the Scanner NOT the pat-down, right? The scanner would be a quick walk through. So based on your logic, you are telling people to opt out so that the terrorists have an easier time scooting by security? And this is making a statement how?

on Nov 24, 2010 at 1:29 AM

And your last point, which expresses someone at the NY TImes opinion apparently (very odd quote), says this unnamed person thinks that the procedures are unlikely to last. That actually has nothing to do with opt out day and everything to do with more logical ways of protest. It also furthers the argument that opt out day is kind of unnecessary. In essence, you're telling people to voluntarily be groped, which is an awful experience. You're saying that groping helps the terrorists. And you're saying that the measures are going to change anyway. I'd say the incredible illogic of this post just made a great case as to why opt out day is idiotic, to use your word. Scanners and pat-downs are bad. But opt out day is ridiculous. It's wrong to ask people to be groped. It's wrong to ask people to do this right before Thanksgiving. But please do let us know how it all works out for you -- you are flying right? You wouldn't expect others to have a hellish, grope-filled travel day without showing up at the airport yourself, would you?

Nonmember comment from Greg S

on Nov 24, 2010 at 6:36 AM

Opt Out Day? Who organized this? Did you lose a family member on 9/11? How old are you? I imagine you are a young adult who was only a child when thousands of innocent American cvilans in Washington, New York and Pennsylvania were murdered by terrorists by hijacking airplanes with flights originating within our county. I would like response from the organizer for alternative security measures that will ensure our safety. You have spent much time and energy to organize 'Opt Out Day'. Please give us our alternatives to secure our airports and flights.

vmh127

on Nov 24, 2010 at 7:41 AM

In India a full pat down is required and after you feel pretty voilated. Why would this be a better choice that a computer image that looks nothing like you? Completely irrational.