Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Next Hoop ?

While we’re on Islam and Security…

With the latest round of airport security screening changes I can imagine a bunch of Muslims sitting around smoking hooka and falling over laughing at how much control they’ve gained over us. They do something, we jump.

Every time they initiate some terrorist action, failed or successful, our feckless Homeland Security and TSA react, effectively causing all of us to react.

Put explosives in a shoe, now we all have to take our shoes off every time we go through security. Put some stuff in liquids, now we’re limited to no liquids larger than 3 oz and yet one more hassle of taking them out of our bag and putting them in a little clear plastic bag (and no longer can we bring home a bottle of 17 year Auchentoshan in our carry-on).

One stuffed some explosives in his underwear so now our wives and 14-year-old daughters are getting a choice of having a nude image taken for some strange guy in another room to gaze at, or they get an ‘enhanced pat-down’ that includes the TSA employee groping her breasts and genitals (enough to make sure that nothing tiny is hidden anywhere within)*. Sadly, both of these are easily bypassed as the full-body scanner only sees through to the surface of skin so many things hidden inside a body cavity (anus or vagina) can’t be seen nor can something hidden in folds of fat. And, while Superman couldn’t see through lead, full-body scanners apparently can’t see well through some leather (EG, animal skin) so an explosive, gun, or other device could presumably be hidden with some well-done leatherwork. Cows may have just become more sacred to Muslims than Hindus.

Last week they put some explosives in printer cartridges so now printer cartridges are being restricted. And TSA thinks this is the only thing they can hide something in?

Where will restrictions on the freedom we’ve enjoyed for so long end? We’ve already seen airport like screening popping up in government buildings. Will we start to see these same security screenings taking place on subways? Trains? Buses? When rumors swirled that the Mall of America was a target of Muslims their security people began serious discussions about screening for everyone entering it.

“I just want to buy some underwear.”

“I know ma’am, but we need to inspect the underwear you’re wearing to make sure you don’t have a bomb in them.”

And those guys sitting around smoking hooka continue to laugh and dream up the next hoop.


* The image on the original full-body scanners wasn’t very revealing. The image on the newer backscatter machines currently being rolled out are apparently nearly indistinguishable from a black and white photo of someone standing fully nude. Interestingly, while TSA released copies of what the original millimeter-wave images looked like, they have so far refused to do the same for backscatter images. A low-resolution image from an older backscatter machine is here. A better and higher resolution version of this could be your wife or daughter!

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