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Michael Chertoff behind TSA pornoscanners?

‘Pornoscanners’ is what Boing Boing (courtesy of AoSHQ Headlines) calls them, and that name works for me.   Anyway, it would seem that Michael Chertoff had his hand in the cookie jar on this one: while Secretary of Homeland Security he ordered the pornoscanners from Rapiscan (a company that was one of his clients), and he’s been a busy little advocate bee on that company’s behalf ever since. When asked about it on the Anderson Cooper show, the response (skip ahead to about 4:55) was largely content-free on spokesflack TSA John Pistole’s part, and by ‘content-free’ I mean ‘Pistole claims to know nothing on the subject’:

Credit where credit is due: Jane Hamsher has a good timeline of this ongoing mess over at Firedoglake, once you compensate for Lieberman*.  Any other year, this would have been a scandal eight months ago; but this was a midterm election coupled with a horrible economy, so we’re only getting to it now.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

*In that spirit: not to noodge Jane, though, but George Soros also owned a bit of this.  I say ‘owned’ because he dumped his stock last quarter.  Say what you like about the man, but he knows when to bug out of a poor investment.

COMMENTS

  • gr8dane

    As a parent and a grandparent I am appalled that no one has addressed this particular issue yet. We spend a lifetime teching our children about “Stranger Danger” about inappropriate touching and then advise them to be suer and let an adult know so it can be stopped. Yet the TSA has repeatedly groped and fondled hundreds of children, pornoscanned them and sent them on their merry way.

    What message does this send to those children we are supposed to protect and defend? That if someone in a uniform gropes and fondles you it is OK? Hell, if that is the case then every pervert andchild sex offender will be out buying a uniform. We as citizens and parents and grand parents need to stand up and let these TSA nazis know that if they so much as touch a child that the full brunt of the American justice system will be brought to bear on them.

    They claim that they are above the law that no one can stop them. Lets put it to the test. Have President Obama, the first lady and his children be subjected to the same treatment every time they fly. See how long he stands to have his own daughters groped and fondled by someone else. If it is good for the American public, then it should be good for the president and his family – no exceptions and no excuse.

    Finally, before the advent of the pornoscanners, we have had the “puffers” which sniffed for explosives and did not require a pat down. We have had metal detectors for decades and they have done fine – how many have gotten a weapon through security after passing through a metal detector. If I recall, every time someone has snuck by security they have emptied the airport unitl either he or she was found or the threat was eliminated.

    Pornoscanners and TSA groping is yet another way for the populace to forego their rights and freedoms under the law. No where does it say you give up your rights when you purchase a ticket. Our constitution clearly protects us – or is supposed to. Least of all it should protect those who cannot protect themselves.

    Lastly, images from pornoscanner ARE available on the internet no matter what Homeland Security terys to lie to us about. So, do you want your childrens images sent out for all to see? I think not!

  • throwback59

    If there was no other way of screening passengers I would probaly say, OK, we’re in a war of survival we have no other choice.
    But there is a more effective, less intrusive way of achieving airline security. I can tell you in 3 words: PROFILING,PROFILING, PROFILING. Racial, Enthnic & Behavorial.
    Even more outrageous is that the one group who should be targeted for special scrutiny may get a pass from the pat-downs & xray screening.
    Unbelievable.

  • blooch

    as the TSA screener who gets to the bottom of it all. I’m thinking Jeremy Irons as the Chertoff and Andy Griffith as the Soros.

  • speciallist

    allaboard

  • http://www.practicalstate.com Bloggy Bayou

    The Obligatory TSA Body Search Blog Post

    http://www.practicalstate.com/?p=3473

    Cheers