Violations

Finally someone with a voice and someone with a little bit of clout has spoken up about the fact that our civil liberties are being taken away in the interest of protecting us.

Apparently last week this pilot refused to step through the brand new invasive Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) that shows what a person looks like without clothes.  It is a strip search without the inconvenience of taking off your clothes.  He refused, or chose the  “opt-out” as they refer to it, and was told he would have to go through a pat down which means some stranger will run his hands all over this pilot’s body looking for weapons or explosives.

Now, this pilot has been going through security at this airport for five years without incident.  He is a trusted member of the airline industry.  Yet, he is being treated like a criminal and questioned ad nauseam by airport security because he refuses to be virtually stripped searched or felt up.

His account, in his own words, is in the Chicago Tribune.  You can read it here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/wreg-pilot-protest,0,576496.story

I understand that in this day and age we need to be vigilant about terrorist activities.  But I also know that a lot of the security procedures we go through are for show and really aren’t all that effective.  I refer back to a posting I did on December 30^th last year (http://www.julianemarie.com/?p=579) where I wrote about being able to take a tube of lotion on the plane.  A tube of lotion that was much larger than what is allowed but no one in security found it. I just want to state that I didn’t do it on purpose.  I forgot it was there. But it should have been noticed and it wasn’t.

“They” say that we are safer with these new security procedures.  That they are necessary.  Well, I agree with the pilot who refused to go through the indignity of such invasive searches.  Our civil rights and liberties are being violated.  Should we just stand by and let that happen because we are afraid?  Or should we tell them that we appreciate their efforts but find some other way to keep all of us safe that doesn’t involve taking away our basic rights and freedoms?  I vote for the second option.  And, just for the record, I am pretty sure I will refuse to step through the AIT if I am asked to do so.  They can pat me down if they want even though I really don’t like that idea either. But I don’t want such an invasive procedure (the AIT) done to me outside my doctor’s office. She can request that I have x-rays taken and she can also request that I go through a whole slew of embarrassing, yet necessary, medical procedures.  But she is my doctor and that is what I pay her to do to me.  I trust her.  I don’t trust a bunch of strangers working in airport security. They may be all very nice and kind people, and probably are, but I don’t know them and I don’t want them seeing parts of me that I would rather keep private.  Unless they want to buy me a drink first.  Then we can discuss it…