Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans support full-body scanners at airports

[^_^ 5,021]

Why did you sum that up as 'racial profiling'? That's not how it reads to me. If they're going to pick someone out of a line because they're brown, that's miles away from targeting someone because of their travel history.

I assumed. I went and looked up the actual questions in the survey and you are right and I was wrong.

8. In another approach, would you support or oppose the TSA profiling people, using available information about passengers in order to determine who gets selected for extra security screening at airports?

Support Oppose No opin.

11/21/10 70 25 6

9. If profiling is done, for each item I name please tell me if you think it should or should not be included in a passenger's security profile. How about a passenger's (ITEM)? How about their (NEXT ITEM)?

Net table - 11/21/10

Should be Should not be No

included included opin.

a. Personal behavior 86 12 2

b. Travel history 78 21 2

c. Nationality 55 43 2

d. Personal appearance 50 48 2

e. Race 40 59 2

f. Religion 39 59 1

g. Sex 32 65 3

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_11222010.html

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I don't think any of these security measures are anything but window-dressing. It's simply not practical to screen everyone - and I know several people who have gotten on planes with prohibited items (including knives) that they forgot to take out of their hand luggage. It's farcical.

Its about making a show that the administration is responding to these threats, yet the amount of money spent on these security measures not to mention the time taken to implement them and the resultant delays that they cause to passenger flights aren't really equal to the threat posed to air travel, which frankly isn't as great as is being made out.

[Pooky 3,828]

I don't think any of these security measures are anything but window-dressing. It's simply not practical to screen everyone - and I know several people who have gotten on planes with prohibited items (including knives) that they forgot to take out of their hand luggage. It's farcical.

Its about making a show that the administration is responding to these threats, yet the amount of money spent on these security measures not to mention the time taken to implement them and the resultant delays that they cause to passenger flights aren't really equal to the threat posed to air travel, which frankly isn't as great as is being made out.

So what would you suggest?

[mawilson 2,133]

That's a damning verdict of Americans. Two thirds actually fall for the show in our airports. Pathetic. Land of the Free? Home of the Brave? Pfft.

That's because 90% of them never travel anywhere.

[mawilson 2,133]

I know several people who have gotten on planes with prohibited items (including knives) that they forgot to take out of their hand luggage. It's farcical.

I have this long metal shoehorn that's about as big as a sword. If the edge was sharper, you could cut someone's head clean off with it.

Anyway, I *always* leave it in my carry-on and let it go through the X-ray along with everything else. I put it at the bottom of the bag under the cardboard panel. I have no idea what it looks like on their equipment, but they have never, ever asked me any questions about it. I must have done it at least 20-30 times, in different countries, including the US.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

So what would you suggest?

Accept that a degree of risk is inevitable and unavoidable

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I've been thinking about this, and wondered how a full pre-screening might work. Basically you report to a security team somewhere in your nearest city. Have a two hour interview, full background checks etc. and then if you are not deemed a threat you get a special ID that is good for 5 years and allows you to go through a streamline system of just metal detectors?