TSA Full Body Scanners - the Back Story

TSA *info-cartoon

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXDLQPfqc04

For the November 24th
TSA PROTEST

I just talked with the Port of Portland, and they are going to give us a legal permit to protest on their property! Can you believe? Their pilots, travelers, TSA agents, and the rest will see our signs on airport property! They are being good sports about this, as many of them agree with us.

So, after I meet with them tomorrow and sign the required permit, we will all be set to demonstrate our grievance against TSA, Homeland Security and the Patriot Act (strikes on our liberty) without fear of a disturbance from any airport, city or state agent. The lady I spoke said our handmade signs shouldn't be a problem, "as long as they don't interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic."

So, start making your signs and invite your friends to voice their concern in a public way on the busiest flying day of the year!

Long Live Liberty!

Suzanne Brownlow

Look if these unconstitutional searches of a person's body becomes "normalized" (and all it takes in one US contrived stopping of a terrorist for the corporate media to say this is okay) then this becomes general practice in all federal and state buildings and then general practice for the police (which in many ways already exists).

This is another reason for people in the Pacific Northwest to identity as Cascadians and to start talking about an independent commonwealth called Cascadia!

Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution:
" The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and Warrants shall not be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 http://johnnyedge.blogspot.com/2010/11/these-events-took-place-roughly-between.html

3 cell videos and a text report of TSA bullshit at the 'pat down area'

[[hands UP the inner thigh]]

Man tells TSA if you touch my junk I will have you arrested (in video 1)
He ends up "not going on the plane"

Man then tells them when TSA threaten him of a lawsuit case for leaving airport (video 3)
"You bring on that case" and he walks past them out the door

"Through a scanner, naked"

Refreshing the Tree of Liberty demonstrates that the naked scanners provide much more detailed image information than the picture that the media has been using indicates at first glance.

To the right is the image that everyone has seen in the various news articles about the TSA's non-invasive x-ray scanners. It looks rather like an x-ray, so no big deal, right?


Except that to the left is the exact same image which is simply inverted with the brightness increased a little. No fancy software or Photoshop skills required. It provides enough detail to show how a woman trims the topiary. So, unless you are the sort of individual who delights in putting naked photos of yourself up on Facebook, you might want to think twice before deciding to fly and face the decision of distributing naked images of your family or subjecting everyone to a gate rape.

It appears the above images may not actually be generated by the TSA scanners but are merely a simulation. So, it looks as if we'll have to wait until a few of them leak onto the Internet to see exactly how much detail is revealed by the inverted images. As usual, Ron Paul is the only Republican who appears to care about these little assaults on American liberties enough to do anything about it.



Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, introduced the Air Traveler Dignity Act to protect Americans from physical and emotional abuse by federal Transportation Security Administration employees conducting screenings at the nation's airports.

"Something has to be done," Paul said. "Everybody's fed up. The people are fed up. The pilots are fed up. I'm fed up. We have seen the videos of terrified children being grabbed and probed by airport screeners. We have read the stories of Americans being subjected to humiliating body imaging machines and/or forced to have the most intimate parts of their bodies poked and fondled. This TSA version of our rights looks more like the 'rights' granted in the old Soviet Constitutions, where freedoms were granted to Soviet citizens - right up to the moment the state decided to remove those freedoms."

 http://voxday.blogspot.com/2010/11/through-scanner-naked.html

refuse a body scan, instead of pat down you could do jail time or a huge fine of $11,000

All you people who are freaking out about scanners and touching should be freaking out about ongoing crimes against humanity by those who act in your name (e.g., Obama).

Ron Paul has said many times that there ARE things we need to do in order to protect ourselves against attack: break up the approximate 1000 foreign military bases, bring home the personnel, stop the occupations of those who hate and fear us, prevent more wars of empire.

Portland progressives should be at least as progressive as Ron Paul.

More TSA information that is being addressed by EPIC:
Posted to the INTERNET on 11.19.10
Posted to Portland Indymedia on 11.22.10

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TAKE ACTION: Stop Airport Strip Searches!
- JOIN Facebook Group "Stop Airport Strip Searches" and INVITE Friends
- DISPLAY the IMAGE  http://thepublicvoice.org/nakedmachine.jpg

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The Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest research
center in Washington, DC. It was established in 1994 to focus public
attention on emerging privacy issues such as the Clipper Chip, the
Digital Telephony proposal, national ID cards, medical record privacy,
and the collection and sale of personal information. EPIC publishes the
EPIC Alert, pursues Freedom of Information Act litigation, and conducts
policy research. For more information, see  http://www.epic.org or write
EPIC, 1718 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009. +1 202
483 1140 (tel), +1 202 483 1248 (fax).


Printed on 11-19-10

=======================================================================
Senate Hearings Grill TSA on Full Body Scanners in Airports
=======================================================================


The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an
oversight hearing on the Transportation Security Administration on
November 17, 2010. John S. Pistole, the TSA Administrator, testified.
Senators asked Pistole tough questions about the privacy and health
implications of airport body scanners. Senators also asked about the
invasiveness of pat-downs and the problems that the machines pose for
religious objectors. Pistole failed to provide proof of independent
studies regarding radiation risks and consistently downplayed privacy
and religious concerns.


EPIC has filed a lawsuit to suspend the body scanner program, calling it
"unlawful, invasive, and ineffective." EPIC argues that the machines
violate the federal Privacy Act, the Administrative Procedures Act, the
Fourth Amendment, the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act, and the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act.


Opposition to the program is growing: The American Pilots Association,
Airline CEOs, flyers rights organizations, religious groups, and others
are calling for an end to invasive searches at airports. Libertarian
Party Chair Mark Hinkle stated, "[t]he fact that I want to travel on an
airplane does not make me a threat, and it does not allow anyone to
conduct a warrantless search under my clothing." The Libertarian Party
exhorted its constituents to call their members of Congress and "tell
them that they don't want this expensive, worthless, intrusive,
unconstitutional program."


Kate Hanni, Executive Director of Flyersrights.org, called for "a robust
debate by aviation security experts and a full presentation to an
expanded Aviation Security Advisory Committee with opportunity for
critics to be heard before these new procedures are implemented." The
new security measures, Hanni stated, "should require an extreme
justification."


In a letter to his members, Captain Mike Cleary, President of the
American Pilots Association, urged pilots not to submit to body scanner
screening because "frequent exposure to TSA-operated scanner devices may
subject pilots to significant health risks." Additionally, the
body-scanner machines and enhanced pat downs are "intrusive and have
been implemented almost overnight" leaving no time for public comment
and are effectively a form of "sexual-molestation" that adversely
affects pilots who are moments away from being in the flight deck.
Captain Cleary finds that the TSA is acting with "unchecked" authority.


A National Opt-Out Day is scheduled for November 24.


Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
 http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Home


Senate Oversight Hearing on TSA
 http://www.epic.org/redirect/111910TSAhearing.html


Senate Oversight Hearing on TSA: John S. Pistole Testimony
 http://www.epic.org/redirect/111910TSAtestimony.html


Press Release: "Libertarians Oppose Abusive TSA Strip-search Machines"
 http://www.epic.org/redirect/111910LibertarianPR.html


FlyersRights.org
 http://strandedpassengers.blogspot.com/


American Pilots Association, Letter to Pilots
 http://www.epic.org/redirect/111910APA.html


The Fiqh Council of North America,
 http://www.fiqhcouncil.org/


Council on American-Islamic Relations,
 http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=26242&currPage=1


National Opt-Out Day
 http://www.optoutday.com/


EPIC: Whole Body Imaging
 http://epic.org/privacy/airtravel/backscatter/


EPIC: EPIC v. DHS (Suspension of Body Scanner Program)
 http://www.epic.org/redirect/111910EPICvDHS.html





=============================================================================
Here is an unreleated (non-EPIC) TSA article


 http://www.mybottlesup.com/2009/10/tsa-agents-took-my-son/

UPDATE #4

PORTLAND PROTEST TO TSA SCREENING
T.A.M.E.

We're set to begin at 9:00a.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 24th, the "Mt. Hood Overpass" on Lombard St & Airport Way. People can come at any time between 9:00a.m and 1:00pm.

We've come up with a new name for our group: T.A.M.E. (Travelers Against Mistreating Everyone). We need to "tame" those TSA agents, "tame" those policies and laws that are restricting our freedoms, "tame" the insecurities about "terrorists". We need to return to a policy of freedom and civility. Who would think 20 years ago, that we'd all be talking today about our privates in the manner we do now? And who would think that our own government would force its citizens to step through machines that could possibly give us cancer?!

We are angry, and want to show it. Hopefully on Wednesday, we'll get a steady stream of folks out on our overpass, with signs that condemn this TSA mistreatment of travelers.

We'll be sending out a press release and opinion editorial very soon. We need comments for our press release from those who will be out there... those of you from all social and poltical spectrums. So, please send me a 1-2 sentence comment ASAP.

Also, please continue to spread the word about our demonstration. And, join our Facebook group at www.tametsa.com.

Thanks!


Suzanne Brownlow --  suzanne.brownlow@comcast.net
Everett Frank --  tametsa@sbcemail.net
T.A.M.E.
www.tametsa.com

From an email I got regarding the overpass TSA protest on Wednesday:

Yes, it was difficult for both the City of Portland and the Port of Portland to actually see this specific overpass on their map. There was a confusion as to if it was publicly or privately owned. It is owned by the Port of Portland.

It is located:

NE Lombard St & SE Airport Way, Portland, OR -- called the Mt. Hood Ave overpass that goes over Airport Way (Cascade Station is on the left, where you'll find Best Buy). This overpass is the first overpass after you turn off I-205 on to Airport Way on the avenue to the airport, past Ikea. See  link to www.tametsa.com.

See Mapquest of Best Buy at Cascade Station and you'll see the Mt. Hood Ave. overpass:
 http://businessfinder.oregonlive.com/3462515/Best-Buy-Cascade-Station-Portland-OR

T.A.M.E. gets first radio interview. Everett Frank did a great job explaining our problem with TSA's intrusion on our life with Mark and Dave from KEX.

Listen @ 6 minutes on podcast Here or at  link to www.1190kex.com

National topic #1 - TAME - Travelers Against the Mistreatment of Everyone - Everett Frank is planning a protest at PDX on Wednesday and what air travelers.

my best idea is that everyone become a "legal observer." you do not need to be a lawyer to become a legal worker with the NLG. join the local chapter.

an organized group of legal observers, would make a big statement and be very helpful. if the airport kicks them out, it could be grounds to sue.

in the meantime, legal workers could collect info directly, right at the airport. i am not sure where it would lead but it seems more proactive then just protesting.

You'll have plenty of support, if they taze you or ask you to leave you'll have a bevy of supporters and lots of cameras watching as all the media is at the airport with their usual travelers spots on the day before Thanksgiving. wear a Scottish Kilt without underwear for true effect

PROTEST TODAY 9 to 1PM - GOOGLE MAP link

 http://tinyurl.com/25bta46

We don't care about two wars, but let's get out the masses if our junk might be patted down?

well I am trying to think outside the box

I not only care about the 2 wars, BUT.....I also care about DRONES killing in additional countries, police abuse in the US and in my own city, Immigration abuses and civil rights violations, Torture being done in the name of our USA freedom, TSA ex-ray and groping, Homeland Security spying on citizens, Homeless folks winter issues and lots and lots and LOTS more.

Heck its called multi-tasking!

These issues are all tied together, and all are extremely important

Its your 'junk" today at the airport....what will tomorrow bring?

In Solidarity !

TSA portland protest - 25 people (average)

were braving the cold with the message "TSA hands off our bodies"

the protest was permitted

the were car honks and waves - and no hassles directed at the protesters

I have some video footage from 11:00 to 12:30 that I will post within 24 hrs

A CASE AGAINST THE T.S.A. A College Essay by a Veteran
November 29 | Posted by Editor | Oregon News, Uncategorized

By Jared Brownlow


After the September 11th attacks, Americans were confused, scared, and uncertain about their future. People were willing to make personal sacrifices in order to combat this new threat, and prevent another attack from happening again. President George W. Bush enacted the Patriot Act shortly after the attacks, and it was readily accepted by the public as a necessary evil. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was also formed, and it began to use thePatriot Act as an excuse to rapidly change the legal landscape of America and to enact sweeping changes to American's personal freedoms. One of the most recent and obvious examples is the Transport Security Administration (T.S.A.). Combating terrorism, and protecting Americans is a duty of our government. Imposing an unnecessary and fascist organization that strips away our freedom and blatantly ignores the 4thAmendment is certainly not.

Surely by now, nearly every American has heard about the new security measures at airports: the Back Scatter Machines or, "full body scanners" and the "Enhanced Pat Downs". The T.S.A. directed all American airports to begin purchasing these body scanners in order to supplement the usual metal detectors at security checkpoints. Passengers are randomly selected and pulled out of line to be subjected to one of these scans. If the passenger "opts-out" of the scan, he or she will be subject to an extremely thorough and intimate pat down to check for any kind of unauthorized items. As the T.S.A.'s own website explains, "A pat-down inspection complements the hand-wand inspection. In order to ensure security, this inspection may include sensitive areas of the body." (TSA, 2010) One ABC employee who recently opted-out had this to say, "The woman who checked me reached her hands inside my underwear and felt her way around," she said. "It was basically worse than going to the gynecologist. It was embarrassing. It was demeaning. It was inappropriate." (Tapper, 2010) Another concern is the very real threat of STD's being transmitted due to the same pair of gloves being repeatedly used to search the genitals of different travelers.

The full body scanners may seem like a far easier choice as opposed to literally being groped by a T.S.A. security officer. The scanners do, however, allow a completely unqualified T.S.A. employee to act as an X-ray technician and see you right through your clothing. In fact, the body scans are so detailed and vivid that one T.S.A. employee in Miami was arrested after he attacked a coworker who made jokes about the size of his genitals (Shepard, 2010). More importantly, no tests have been performed on the long-term effects of the radiation emitted by the machine on a human body. Recently, University of California professor John Sedat sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration expressing concern that we just don't know enough about the technology behind the machines to know if they are truly safe.

"The low-energy rays do a 'Compton scatter' off tissue layers just under the skin, possibly exposing some vital areas and leaving the tissues at risk of mutation. When an X-ray Compton scatters, it doesn't shift an electron to a higher energy level; instead, it hits the electron hard enough to dislodge it from its atom. The author's note that this process is 'likely breaking bonds,' which could cause mutations in cells and raise the risk of cancer."(Johnson, 2010)

The American Pilots Association (APA) recognized the dangers of the new untested technology being forced on its member pilots daily, as well as the invasive pat down procedures. The president of the organization submitted a letter to all the pilots within the APA urging them to request alternate screening, and if subjected to the pat down, insist that it be performed in an area secluded from the public. The total stupidity of forcing pilots to these new security measures is best summed up by Jeffery Goldberg (2010), a news correspondent for The Atlantic, who stated:

"It is a source of continual astonishment to me that pilots — many of whom, it should be pointed out, are military veterans who possess security clearances — are not allowed to carry onboard their airplanes pocket knives and bottles of shampoo, but then they're allowed to fly enormous, fuel-laden, missile-like objects over American cities."

The T.S.A. will point to the Shoe Bomber and the Underwear Bomber as reasons why they add increased security measures. There have been a little over 3,000 Americans killed by terrorism in the past 30 years. Every death is regrettable, but over 16,000 Americans were murdered just last year alone by other Americans. Should our government place body scanners on every street corner and order police officers to conduct cavity searches on every citizen to prevent murders? There comes a point when you have to weigh the freedoms granted to us by the Bill of Rights, namely our 4th Amendment rights guarding us against unreasonable search and seizures, versus the threat of terrorism.

There has not been a single successful terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. Not only that, but there has not been a single attemptedattack anywhere thwarted by the T.S.A. Every single attack was stopped by the ineptitude of the terrorist, and passengers on the flight. Groping and radiating innocent American citizens does absolutely nothing to keep us safe.

Obviously, it is the job of the airlines to ensure that nobody is going to blow up their airplanes. But what gives the government the right to install their own security force and institute its own security policies at airports? When did it become the job of the federal government to stick its hands down the pants of America's citizens - young and old? When did Americans decide to let the government strip away every right they had without protest? When did America lose its sense of dignity? The hundreds of thousands of veterans such as myself did not fight and bleed on the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan, supposedly in the name of freedom, only to see those very freedoms shredded by the government we honorably served. Our patriotism has been betrayed.

The long lines of people willing to allow themselves to be radiated and molested even though no crime has been committed is systemic of a far larger problem in America. The T.S.A. is only one small but visible part of a colossal threat to the freedoms of every American. The day Americans agreed to trade their rights for the guise of security and safety is the day the government eagerly began its strangle hold on America. If Americans don't protect and fight for their rights and freedoms, who else will? Americas' slippery decent into a totalitarian and authoritative police state is rapidly becoming clear to anybody who takes off their blinders and steps away from the herd of sheep. Daniel Webster, famed orator and U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, once said:

"Who will show me any Constitutional injunction which makes it the duty of the American people to surrender everything valuable in life, and even life itself, not when the safety of their country and its liberties may demand the sacrifice, but whenever the purposes of an ambitious and mischievous government may require it?" (1814)

The only way to stop the decent of our republic into tyranny is to awaken to the blatant stripping of our rights, and for the citizens of this great nation to take a stand and refuse to bend their knees to oppression.



 http://oregonlibertyproject.com/newa/?p=76
 http://patriotpowerhour.com/wordpress/?p=141

Its coming folks
The TSA is here to help you
No spread your legs I need to feel you up for terrorism sake

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIL4shjagjI

Tampa Bay Florida is TSA pat downing at random bus stops

Liberty is being challenged "in your faces'