Muslim woman barred from boarding after she refuses body scan at airport

[mawilson 2,133]

Has anyone taken a commuter train into a major building.

Like... a train station?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Like... a train station?

LOL okay, okay, I knew someone would point out the obvious.

[Arun+Catie 1]

um... I'm curious why having an "infection" is a good reason not to be scanned?

I, for one, am glad that security officials did not give in...

C

[Peikko 1,575]

um... I'm curious why having an "infection" is a good reason not to be scanned?

I, for one, am glad that security officials did not give in...

C

Give in? I see nothing in any of the articles I have read where the women tried to persuade the officials to turn a blnd eye. There is a proceedure in place that has to be followed simple as that.

However, I was also somewhat stimmied by the 'infection' argument. I have no idea why anyone would think having an infection should have an effect on the scanning process.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Maybe she thinks the scanners can smell her genitalia too.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Maybe she thinks the scanners can smell her genitalia too.

Did it stink?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Did it stink?

She refused to be scanned. We will never know.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

She refused to be scanned. We will never know.

[Scott & Lai 12]

So, I tend to think that a lot of the measures that we have now are to increase feelings of public safety, than to actually achieve it.

If they're only about feelings of safety, I say get rid of them. Either do things that will actually make me safer, or leave me alone.

[Peikko 1,575]

If they're only about feelings of safety, I say get rid of them. Either do things that will actually make me safer, or leave me alone.

The biggest problem is, it's not possible to get accurate feedback as to how successful each measure we introduce actually is. It's not like we can ask terrorists if they are more reluctant to attempt a suicide bombing as each security measure is put in place. The best we can do is make educated guesses.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Maybe she thinks the scanners can smell her genitalia hand too.

Fixx0red.

[Scott & Lai 12]

The biggest problem is, it's not possible to get accurate feedback as to how successful each measure we introduce actually is. It's not like we can ask terrorists if they are more reluctant to attempt a suicide bombing as each security measure is put in place. The best we can do is make educated guesses.

Fine, but I'm looking at the intention of the measures. If they are intended to simply make us "feel" safe, and the government doesn't actually believe that the measures will achieve safety, then I'd rather see them done away with.

[Peikko 1,575]

Fine, but I'm looking at the intention of the measures. If they are intended to simply make us "feel" safe, and the government doesn't actually believe that the measures will achieve safety, then I'd rather see them done away with.

I don't think goverment intention is that firmly in line with one side or the other. I rather suspect that they know the public will feel safer, and hope the public will be safer at some level but it is hard for me to see how safety is significantly increased by the use of full body scanners when full body searchers were always available to them. I am making a few assumptions, but my guess is that the latest perpetrator, the underpants bomber, wasn't searched at all, not that he was subject to a search and the searchers missed it. However, I'm happy to be corrected on that one.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I respectfully disagree. Anything at all that makes me feel safer flying has my thumbs up.

Travel to Tel Aviv and tell me how many scans you have subject yourself to to get on that El Al flight. Now, if there's a prime target for terrorists out there, it's Tel Aviv airport and El Al airlines. And yet, just to save you the trip, you will not be scanned, your bottle of water isn't dumped into the garbage, nor do you have to put your gels and liquids into a 1 quart zip-lock bag in individual doses not to exceed 3fl oz each. None of that. And you know how many incidents they had at the airport or on any El Al flight the past few decades? You guessed it: Zippo. El Al has been named the most secure airline in the world in 2008.

All we're doing at US airports and Western European airports these days is opium for the masses. Feel good ####### entirely ineffective for airport and airline security. It's all just for show. To make people, like yourself, feel safe.

Edited March 4, 2010 by Mr. Big Dog

[Sofiyya 1,687]

This woman wasn't the first to refuse to go thru the scanner, yet she makes news. Sheesh!