God Awful Things

Funny, I wasn’t thinking this would be the subject of my first post-holiday post, but having just heard on NPR about our Mayor talking to congress about the new full body scanners.  Having seen the images (which leave nothing to the imagination) I thought “Welp.. Gonna get a lot of pedophile screeners at the airport now.”  Seems I’m not the only one to have thought of this (shocker!)

[Via The Guadian]

A 12-month trial at Manchester airport of scanners which reveal naked images of passengers including their genitalia and breast enlargements, only went ahead last month after under-18s were exempted.

The decision followed a warning from Terri Dowty, of Action for Rights of Children, that the scanners could breach the Protection of Children Act 1978, under which it is illegal to create an indecent image or a “pseudo-image” of a child.

Dowty told the Guardian she raised concerns with the Metropolitan police five years ago over plans to use similar scanners in an anti-knife campaign, and when the Department for Transport began a similar trial in 2006 on the Heathrow Express rail service from Paddington station.

“They do not have the legal power to use full body scanners in this way,” said Dowty, adding there was an exemption in the 1978 law to cover the “prevention and detection of crime” but the purpose had to be more specific than the “trawling exercise” now being considered.

A Manchester airport spokesman said their trial had started in December, but only with passengers over 18 until the legal situation with children was clarified. So far 500 people have taken part on a voluntary basis with positive feedback from nearly all those involved.

Of course, we see where this road goes, children eventually become mules to smuggle whatever onto planes, and after a disaster or near disaster children will then be scanned to, etc etc.  Naturally the notion of being seen naked doesn’t bother me due to my natural disposition of being a bronzed Aztec Godlike physique.  Oh well, maybe this will return flying to it’s original mode of transportation for the wealthy only.  Anything to keep the fatties from sweating on me.

Or even better, no more kids on flights.. then we can use those in flight messaging systems without worry of accidently messaging the wrong seat.

“A/S/L?”