Forum Topic

Airport body scanners.

For or against???

Andy Wright ● 6047d9 Comments

There should be a choice - scanners or waterboarding.Another alternative could be the use of proctoscopes...

Alan Brainsby ● 6045d

Perhaps if a free healthcheck was thrown in at the same time I would be for it. But will it catch Drug Mules? I often have doubts about various technologies and are they just a way of making the public think they are safer??? or do they really work?? as a technosceptic I was interested to see that the bomb scanners exported to the iraqi police apparently do not work!! plenty of money for a company and the illusion of security!!

Peter Chadburn ● 6045d

Guys I dont think they are a bad thing....even if the technology is not perfect.If it makes people think twice about doing something stupid like being being a drug mule or possibly puts off terrorists then I'm all for it.

Andy Wright ● 6044d

Here's a solution to all the controversy over full-body scanners. Have aBooth that you can step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonateAny explosive device you may have on you.It would be a win-win for everyone, and there would be none of this crapAbout racial profiling!!!!!

Victor Mullins ● 6044d

Re: "Have a booth..."We have the technology!

Alan Brainsby ● 6044d

"It would be a win-win for everyone, and there would be none of this crap about racial profiling!!!!!"Racial profiling? I don't see the connexion.One assumes that the scanner portal would be used for every passenger regardless of race (we're all members of a race or combination thereof). One doesn't have to be a member of specific race to be a terrorist/bomb carrier as far as I know. If that were true then scanners would be unnecessary and DNA profiling would be used, less convenient but more accurate for detection.Of course the fault lies with the government of this country. A government's first duty is the protection of its citizens. Whether this means sinking their navies or bombing the cr*p out of potential invaders or raising taxes to provide for the less fortunate members of its society it is still the primary function. If a government allows all and sundry to enter without proper control it is ultimately their responsibility.I hope our local MPs and wannabe MPs read that preceding paragraph; it would be interesting to hear their views (and excuses).

Alan Brainsby ● 6043d

Isn't that Victor's point, Alan? If a booth exploded your device, then there would be no element of racial profiling.

Susan Kelly ● 6043d

The shocking and obvious lack of profiling is the cause. The Nigerian muslim who tried to detonate explosives on the Northwest flight to Detroit had purchased his ticket with 2,800 US Dollars cash in Accra, Ghana and departed on the longhaul trip by KLM flight from Lagos with hand baggage only. Its even thought by other passengers that an attempt was made to retain his passport at Schiphol by an accomplice.At least one BAA airport has introduced compulsory removal and scanning of shoes which although an additional chore is actually a relief after observing the futility of staff  with the previous optional checking tending to select compliant passengers and waiving through those in uncertain categories.Headline could be "diversity preachers introduce universal body scanning".

Robert Darke ● 6043d

Susan - a scanner may detect explosive materials too. It works independently of race.The major difference between the two is that the scanner performs a single process - identification - and requires human intervention to apprehend the carrier prior to waterboarding and other interrogations leading to a trial, whereas a booth does the job of identification and destruction in one simple operation but denying the opportunity of waterboarding and obtaining further information.I suppose booths could be similar to the modern type of public lavatory which are self-cleaning after use.Of course the simplest solution would be to segregate passengers into two groups - protestants and others - and have separate flights for them.

Alan Brainsby ● 6042d