Appalling picture of the day...

[hlthe2b]

This is what Americans have been reduced to, as a result of TSA policy that even the Israelis note has no evidence-basis for efficacy. I want to live as a free American and not as a pawn of those making profits from these scanners, nor reduced to a subhuman being with no rights. I do not believe there is such a thing as absolute safety from terrorism, but I do believe we can reach a degree of assurance without these procedures used indiscriminately. If we don't draw a line in the sand here, will we all be subject to body cavity searches? Think about it.

While this shot is of an adult male (and fortunately not a child), I find it no less horrendous.

[mikelgb]

1. Is that service $15 per bag too?

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. LOL

[reggie the dog]

12. am i missing something about 15 dollars a bag?

is that a tax or an airline fee?

[Arugula Latte]

24. A lot of airlines are charging $15 or $25 per checked piece of luggage.

[reggie the dog]

28. low cost airlines like easyjet or ryanair do that here in europe

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

36. LOL!

Nice one.

[toddwv]

2. How much do they charge

for a happy ending?

[onecent]

3. This is DOWNRIGHT DISGUSTING!!!!!

He is ENJOYING that WAY TOOO MUCH!!!!!DAMN!!!

[rurallib]

6. how are they trained? on each other?

or is it just a 'go do it, feel for odd things' kind of a deal?

[BrklynLiberal]

9. DisguSTING!! The only word..and Americans are just putting up with it???

[Toucano]

20. You really think that's the face of enjoyment?

I think you might be projecting.

I am sure TSA workers dislike this as much as the passengers. It's a JOB, not an afternoon at a bordello.

[canadianbeaver]

4. I wish someone would relieve themselves when they are touched

down there.....Ooops...sorry I peed on you....peon!

[gateley]

7. This is yet another example of how we don't go to the 'experts' (like the Israelis

to learn from them, take advantage of their experience, but decide what we're going to do on our own and make sure that it benefits the coffers of the Chertoffs of the world.

[gateley]

8. Another thought - I feel so bad for those workers who have to do this. Can you

imagine? It's not so easy to quit a job these days. IF I'm ever subjected to this, I'm going to try to remember to be nice to the gropers.

[Historic NY]

10. "Cough"

[nc4bo]

11. Appalling. nt

[Bucky]

13. I see a whole new genre of porn starting to evolve here: Airport Handjob Movies

Move over, furries. Get lost, crush videos. It's time for a new fad

[reggie the dog]

14. reminds me of my teenage years in the suburbs of chicago

where riding a bmx bike was suspicious and got you searched like that by the cops because everyone knew that kids riding bikes had drugs.... honestly they molested me many times like that before i even smoked weed, hell we started weed half because we were constantly having cops feel our dicks and tell us we were small while they were searching for drugs so we figured we may as well enjoy being high...

[louis-t]

15. "Why do I always get stuck with turn your head and cough?

-Frank Burns

[reggie the dog]

16. get hard in their hand

i did that to a cop searching me for weed once when i was a teenager and it fucking freaked him out!

[Fumesucker]

17. Just think of the bright side..

Some men will have their hitherto unknown testicular cancer discovered in this manner..

[hlthe2b]

18. Oh, yeah... TSA---just like the best trained docs at Johns Hopkins...

without the education, but hey, no insurance co-pay

[treestar]

19. OK. If there is a bomb on a plane, would you agree, no lawsuits

for any of the survivors? This is so terrible, you are willing to risk the bomb rather than go through with it. Then why should the government - the taxpayers - have to pay out damages when everyone was willing to take the risk? I bet the answer is no. The government should just pay either way.

[Lars39]

23. What risk? We've got 10 years without a plane blowing up, using

the regular pat down.

[treestar]

39. 10 years is enough?

When any plane, gods forbid, blows up, who is going to get the blame? The terrorists? For about five minutes. And what will be next. Why didn't the TSA stop it?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There would be a thousand DU threads saying that.

[Lars39]

42. Ten years is a proven track record.

But some people won't be happy until they have to have body cavity searches just to park in a parking garage, I guess.

[treestar]

43. I wouldn't go that far.

But the point is, are people against it willing to say that the TSA would not be to blame if something did happen? No lawsuits against the government? Seems unfair to hold the government liable unless they were negligent. So there should be no one saying it is negligent not to pat down the passengers and crew.

[Lars39]

45. I see that money seems to be your bottom line.

[treestar]

46. No, fairness

So the government should not be held negligent for not doing a pat-down on everyone. It would be hypocritical to be against doing it and then saying it was negligent not to do it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. This is theater and at this point I need to ask

are you THAT FUCKING AFRAID?

[hlthe2b]

34. If I'm afraid to fly, it has little to do with risk of terrorism...

and more to do with fear I will lose it if pushed to the limit by arrogant TSA-- and wind up in jail. Or the stress of dealing with the idiocy will spike my BP into stroke range. Truly.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. It was directed at the other poster

you got mail

[hlthe2b]

37. I know... My comment is only meant to echo the sentiment

[treestar]

40. What does that have to do with what I asked?

If you hold the TSA does not have to do this then there should be no lawsuits from the bombing victims where this might have stopped the bomber. No? That's the only fair trade.

[lpbk2713]

21. No doubt in my mind.

It will have to be an extreme emergency before I travel by air again.

Phuck this shit.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

22. LOL. I'm just imagining some of these homophobic, macho

males having to go thru this procedure. Someone's gonna get hurt.

[hlthe2b]

25. Drudge has been running with this nonstop... the RW is split on this

but lots are going apeshit in opposition. Even Coulter has come out sounding somewhat (partially) rational on the whole issue. In fact he is running the same graphic, but I got it elsewhere.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. There is UNITY on this one between freepers

and DU'ers... or at least a good chunk of both.

This must be scaring some folks at the highest levels of government. For once they are not screaming at each other. Hell, Hartmann had a rightie today, they never agree on anything... today they fully agreed.

[Mona Blue]

26. Come on.

You'd enjoy it. Just admit it.

[hlthe2b]

29. NO more than I'd enjoy being raped... Sorry, I normally like dark humor

but this one is hard to laugh at. Degrading other Americans with little evidence to back up the policy is just not my idea of a hearty laugh.

[Capn Sunshine]

27. Wait until some nut blows himself up with plastique up his ass.

Drop your drawers and bend over
Courtesy of American Paranoia

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Absolutely, we have gone certifiably nuts

[mnhtnbb]

32. That could be my husband on our last trip out of LaGuardia.

Not really. But he got the same treatment as this older gentleman. Look at the man's hands.

Both hubby and I have hip replacements. He never gets through without being pulled aside; for some
strange reason in the last year or so I sometimes get through and don't have to be felt up.

I almost--almost--said in a very loud voice when he was submitted to this indignity:

I hope you're happy convincing yourself that a retired USAF Major isn't a threat to our safety!

On edit: I think it's appalling that we have allowed ourselves to become such a nation of sheep
treated as terrorists UNTIL we prove ourselves innocent.

[Blue Owl]

38. That TSA dude's definitely in the junkyard

Get in there real good, just like Commander Sick Fuck told you to...

[snooper2]

41. Next time I fly I'm going for the pat down..

And when my he starts rubbing around my nads I'm going to start moaning..

Oh Oh, Oh that's the spot..WooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

Maybe a couple little hip thrusts


Just to see what kind of reaction I get

[and-justice-for-all]

44. Are women examined the same way??

I can only imagine the horror they must be going through.