I know I'm a bit late to the party...

[Twinguard]

I have some questions about the airport security that is all the rage these days. Please forgive my ignorance as I haven't had much time to spend reading the internets lately.

With regards to the scanners and enhanced pat downs, etc...
Is this a relatively new policy? Did it begin after last year's failed underpants bomb attempt or more recently? Has there been a specific terrorist threat that spawned this increase in security? Are the full body scanners in place at all American airports, or just a few (possibly with plans to expand)? Are the enhanced pat downs for those people who refuse the full body scans, or are they in addition to the scans? How "enhanced" are the pat downs? I've seen the shirtless kid and read the story about the urine soaked passenger, but a handful of anecdotes don't necessarily tell the whole story.

Please don't take this as me trolling or stirring up the dookie or anything, I just prefer to know the whole story. It seems like there are some clear violations going on, but I want to know if this is the new norm or a few isolated incidents (not that isolated incidents make it alright or anything). Would someone please shed some light on the subject for me? Thanks.

[Bobbieo]

1. When in doubt - Don't fly!

[Twinguard]

3. I haven't flown in a long time,

and I don't have any plans to fly in the foreseeable future. I'm simply curious about what is going on. I've been reading some of the various posts on the subject, but there are more than enough to make my head spin and it's difficult to weed out the facts from the perceptions.

[Matariki]

2. October 29th new policy went into effect.

[Twinguard]

5. Why that date?

It seems like if it is in response to the failed undies bombing, 10 months is quite a long time to implement this policy.

[lob1]

4. We have these X-ray scanners because Mike Chertoff

convinced everyone we should have them when he was head of Homeland Security. When he left Homeland Security, he became head of the company selling the machines. This happened long before the Underwear Bomber. And they're not sure this system would've stopped the Underwear Bomber. But hey, Chertoff is getting rich, right?

[smiley]

7. to be fair

I believe Chertoff worked for a consulting company that did work for the manufacturers of these machines. Not that I don't smell a rat in Chertoff - but I'm fairly certain he was not the head of the company selling the machines.

[underpants]

6. It is a media driven (Fox and talk radio) diversion and attempt to wipe the past clean

see my post here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9594006

[inna]

9. thanks for the link

you definitely have a valid point.

[applegrove]

8. They started implementing it at a few airports at a time. They didn't announce the new policy

because they didn't want to give a roadmap to the terrorists as to which airports had scanning/patdowns and which did not.