In the past month, we have seen major media outlets follow the story of National Opt Out day. Now that it is over, the stories are less frequent and will probably subside as the media moves on to other stories. It is important, however, to remember that everyone must keep up the pressure against the TSA or else the TSA will feel that they can continue their abusive behavior towards travelers.

“Security is not optional,” the TSA said.

Really? It seemed to be optional this past Wednesday, one of the busiest travel days of the year, when they shut down the scanners and and skipped pat-downs at most airports. It seems they are just more security theater to give travelers the illusion of safety when they fly. If they were so necessary, then pilots and flight attendants would still be subject to them. Along with the flight crew, pets are not screened, nor is most of the cargo that goes onto the planes.

There are also major health concerns as to whether or not the full body scanners can expose you to too much radiation. Your alternative is an extremely invasive pat down, which is not altogether healthy either. It has been reported numerous times that TSA agents do not change their latex gloves﻿ from one passenger to the next. When they do, it’s still disgusting and unacceptable.

Changing gloves is fairly simple when I gate screen I carry about 10-12 pairs in my pockets.

At the very least this is unsanitary. Worse, there is a great risk of spreading MRSA, fecal contamination (think about where the pat down goes), impetigo, crabs, lice, and possibly sexually transmitted diseases to each passenger that they come in contact with.


To all the TSA officers, please, change your gloves. Don’t use the ones wadded up in your pocket. Go get the box and put on a new pair. It’s okay. I’ll wait.

The lobbyists for L-3 Communications behind the scanners doubled their cash investments in Washington over the past five years. The CEO of OSI Systems recently flew to India with the president.

The TSA is claiming a victory over this, bragging that the lines were short. Somehow, extremely short lines on one of the busiest flying days of the year is a good thing to them.

Employees at the Houlihan’s in the airport atrium said business this week has been unusually slow.

The manager, who worked 13 years but declined to give her name, said she’d never seen traffic so sparse.


The TSA does not understand that lines were short because less people were flying. These people either drove or didn’t travel at all as an alternative to facing the TSA.

If Americans don’t keep fighting now, it will move to subways and train stations. New York City is already practicing such measures. The TSA would like screening everywhere despite the fact that it would never work in a real life situation. Only only need to travel the public transportation system in a major metropolitan city, such as New York City or Chicago to realize this.

What it boils down to is money and power. There are certain people in Washington getting very rich off this technology. The government is also trying to control the people by keeping them in constant fear. The current security procedures are unconstitutional and should be removed. They do not work as intended and only serve to line the pockets of politicians.

If we take an honest look at the situation, the government alone is responsible for any terrorist attacks on our soil. It is the government who has spent the last four decades mired in the politics of the Middle East, sticking their noses in where they don’t belong. It is not our freedoms that the Middle East abhors. It is the constant interference in a region we have no business being in. The eventuality of strip searches and flying naked isn’t going to make us any safer. Leaving the Middle East to their own accord will make us infinitely more safe than some fat guy feeling a pretty girl’s boobs at the airport.