I know this for me only means more driving or finding other means of transportation.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/04/28/0428bodyscan.html



(article below)
Big Brother is watching - and soon could be taking an even closer look at passengers in Palm Beach International Airport.

Palm Beach County has approved the use of full-body scanners that electronically peek underneath clothing to screen passengers traveling out of PBIA.

Palm Beach County has approved the use of full-body scanners that electronically peak underneath clothing to screen passengers traveling out of PBIA. While federal authorities have no immediate plans to install the $170,000 machines here, the county's approval clears the way for their eventual use.

The scanners, which became more prevalent after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, produce a black-and-white image of the passenger's unclothed body, which federal security agents then can view from a remote room.

The federal Transportation Security Administration says the machines can detect weapons, explosives and other dangerous items, including those a metal detector would not catch.

They also reduce the need for slower, more intrusive pat-down searches. It takes about 15 seconds for a passenger with joint replacements or artificial limbs to be scanned by the machine, versus up to four minutes for a pat-down.

But privacy advocates are appalled at the idea of routinely forcing passengers to undergo a virtual strip search.

"Think of people that have medical needs like colostomy bags," said Brandon Hensler, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union's Florida chapter. "To think that they are using that level of graphic imagery to scan passengers is a frightening invasion of privacy."

The TSA says the images are deleted immediately after being used, greatly reducing any privacy worries. The images also will not be visible to fellow passengers. and of course I believe this

Airport managers said last week that they have given the TSA permission to install the scanning machines at PBIA's security checkpoints.

"When the latest technology comes out and they tell you they want to put it in your airport, you are in a position to say yes," county Airports Director Bruce Pelly said.

They machines could not be installed without the county's endorsement, the TSA says.

"The next step would be to get on a schedule for deployment," said Sari Koshetz, a Miami-based TSA spokeswoman.

PBIA is not on that list, and no money has been set aside to bring the machines here, Koshetz said.

Forty of the so-called millimeter wave machines have been installed at 19 airports across the country, Koshetz said. In Florida, they are used at Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa international airports.

None of the state's other airports is slated to get the machines, Koshetz said.

The ACLU's Hensler fears that the acceptance of the machines at airports could lead to installing them in other public places, such as courthouses and schools.

Metal detectors, once primarily found in airports, are now used to screen people entering office buildings and children going to class, he noted.

"Look at the way technology has evolved over the years," Hensler said. "Once this technology becomes accepted, this could trickle down."

Meanwhile, federal transportation agents have removed another weapon-detecting machine from PBIA. The so-called "puffer" machines were recently taken out of the airport's security checkpoints, Koshetz said.

The machines were installed in 2005 to check passengers for explosives. They puff bursts of cool air onto passengers passing through airport security, then "sniff" the particles dispersed from skin, shoes and clothing in search of bomb-making materials.

TSA officials plan to put more advanced X-ray equipment in the space once occupied by the puffer machines, Koshetz said.

Well. I tell you one thing, I certainly wouldn't want to be the person having to look at those images. Supermodel bodies are few and far between

I'd prefer to hold onto personal rights/choices, to show or not to show is my decision, just as to look or not to look is anothers.

There was something about this quite a while back already, and it caused an uproar. It was called an invasion of privacy, and rightfully so. Because of that, I think they declined to install these devices, but I could be wrong.

I certainly hope so. I can understand, maybe, using them on a selective basis, if there was a reason it was necessary, but to scan everyone or randomly select, no, sorry, that's just not right.

You don't have to go through the machine if you choose not to.

except if it's on the way to where you are heading lol

which is why I am seeking other means of transportation

You will be able to opt for the pat down search if you prefer

Privacy? Body image? Safety? I choose safety, thank you very much.

Doesn't bother me anymore than getting an xray at the doctors office. If I must fly, I prefer not to fly with a terrorist or several. And I am sure other passengers would like to know that I am not carrying a concealed weapon. I would think terrorists would be on the side of those privacy advocates. They depended on us to be more concerned about privacy then safety. No?

What am I missing? I would think that those that died in those planes on 9/11 would have given up a moment of discomfort for the peace of mind of knowing they would get home to their families.

I don't have a problem with it

OMG! They'd find out I'm really an alien sent to take over Earth!

Then again, such a scan on me would surely incite a few fantasies

yay, I knew I was right

Your right to choose what's best for you, I chose otherwise. Nothing to do with body image, just my personal feel of being violated. It is very different than the xray at the docs office

You are just relying on the person reading the scan to make you feel safer, that's on you.

As for being more concerned about privacy than safety - that's a big vague lol, as all you are doing is handing off your safety to someone else not to a safer way of things.

As to what you are missing, is that I don't agree. Everyone I am certain (regardless of 9/11) wants the comfort and peace of mind of friends, family members returning safely from their journeys. Would it have made a difference, sad to say, we will never know. We can all guess and assume, but we shall never know.

But then again this is my opinion nothing else.

maybe I shall continue flying after all

I'm sure the people who view those become inured to seeing bodies. But what guarantee is there really that those images won't show up on some b*tthole's myspace or on youtube? Hopefully they are views that completely obscure any real identifiable personal information. If there's a will by someone working there, there is a way, I suppose.
What I am concerned about is if they addressed the safety of these machines. Will they expose people to unneccesay radiation or have an effect on something someone relies upon for their personal health?

And, of course, if a woman is wearing one of those personal battery operated butterflies.... or a man has his pocket p*ssy still on......

Not the expert, but from what I've seen, you couldn't pick yourself out of a lineup of other similar scans.

i wonder if the NSA takes volunteers....

Actual body scan!

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/photo/2009/04/28/18897505_-1.html

Ever wonder how many explosives, guns etc. have been found on potential passengers since these inspections started? What's the percentage? I am sure the TSA and DHS won't be sharing the true numbers. If they did this farce would be exposed for what it truly is.

Now don't get me wrong I am sure there are people like me who have a pen knife on their key chain the might forget to remove...but honestly...what sort of threat reduction are we talking about here?

Just last week there was a passenger on a plane, a former or current member of the armed services I don't recall which, who had explosives and arms in his carry on made it past all the screeners. The holes in security are huge obviously, look at the various stories about things being stolen from luggage in airports. That indicates a lack of security there as well.

In truth there are thousands of ways to cause massive loss of life situations...there simply is not a way to guard against all of them. This is a truth any logical reasonable person knows.

These inspections are in place to create a false sense of security, to further the fear mentality and condition the populace to accept search without probable cause.

Life is full of risks.