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[Disposable Ninja]

Well, at least these new, more invasive security measures are created new business opportunities. Behold: the Flying Pasties (NSFW). Not only do they make your genitals and nipples invisible to airport scanners, but they also miraculously squeeze your tits together somehow.

[Thad]

Well, at least these new, more invasive security measures are created new business opportunities.

Especially for Michael Chertoff.

Er, is there any truth to the persistent comments that Rapiscan is a client of his?  Because a Google search turns up a hell of a lot of freaky-looking conspiracy sites.

[Saturn]

I was under the impression that Air Marshals used special bullets that were essentially plastic flechette, for the very reason that it can't penetrate the hull?

its called a frangible bullet

although that article says they are currently using regular hollow-points

[Cthulhu-chan]

A lot cheaper, I'm sure.

[Kayin]

The episode of mythbusters on that basically showed that an aircraft wouldn't explode from decompression. In fact, as I understand it, it's the only test ever done on the matter and FAA took great interest in their findings and methodology. Not that you necessarily want to risk shooting through terrorists into baby, nor is it good to take out part of a triple redundant system even if it is triple redundant.

[Brentai]

its called a frangible bullet

Only if we're letting Lewis Carroll name out ammunition.

[Rico]

Rapiscan

I was commenting on this to someone last night.  Who the fuck names their nude picture generator Rapey-scan?

[Thad]

I was commenting on this to someone last night.

You, Colbert, and everybody else.

[JDigital]

They blow up planes all the time for safety tests. I guess it's difficult to do that at high altitude and difficult to recover debris from.

[Thad]

Dave Barry has a blurry groin.

I do think - and this is not an original observation - you see a lot of - I do - a lot of elderly ladies being pulled aside for one issue or another. And I suppose terrorists could use an elderly lady to attack a plane. I just don't think they ever have. It just seems like it'd make more sense to focus your efforts on things that are more likely to actually happen.

[Ted Belmont]

TSA groping leaves bladder cancer survivor soaked in his own urine, humiliated.

This is what we've become, folks.

[Norondor]

speak for yourself

[Büge]

Oh boy. I can't wait until a transgender person has to suffer through that kind of humiliation.

[JDigital]

I still think nobody's going to do anything about it. A year from now TSA will continue grabbing balls, exposing travellers to x-rays and strip-searching children. Nobody will make them stop, and if it gets close, there'll be a foiled minor terrorist attack and everyone will line up for groin-grabbing again.

[Thad]

You're assuming that either (1) nobody's going to sue over it or (2) if they do, the courts will uphold it.  I don't think either one of those is a reasonable bet.

Besides that, there's the issue that the airline industry is already in trouble and this is one more reason for people not to fly.

There are other things to consider too: some airports are already looking at hiring private firms instead of the TSA, and this is also a pretty strong issue for the Republicans to take on once they realize, oh yeah, the public's never going to think we're softer on terrorists than Democrats no matter WHAT we do.

[Brentai]

The airline industry really turned itself around this year, but yeah, not very happy about the mass groping.

[Mongrel]

Even up here, I'm already hearing the rumblings about various 4th amendment challenges to the TSA.

Once in a while, that constitution of yours actually works.

[Thad]

Gizmodo puts a sensationalistic headline on a good article, in which a former assistant chief of police describes being frequently singled out for search, as well as one particular ineffective search that, she believes, was intended as punishment for asking questions.

Given that TSA interacts with tens if not hundreds of millions of travelers each year, it is incredible to me that we, the stewards of homeland security, have failed to insist that data capturing and analysis should occur in a manner similar to what local police agencies have been doing for many years.

Some might argue that the potential for intrusion is not the same between police and TSA. I believe my experience this past weekend demonstrates otherwise. Currently, there is no way to know whether a certain male screener routinely identifies predominantly women for additional screening. There is no way to identify whether a Latino screener routinely isolates African-Americans, or vice versa. To assert that the screeners are highly trained and do not engaged in this type of discrimination, whether passive or active, is unsupportable because there is no data. You simply cannot solve problems that you do not want to identify.

[Büge]

Seems like Canada's trying to one-up the USA in the touchy-feely department: EightFifteen-year-olds, dude.

[Thad]

Boy that Indian ambassador sure looks like she could be a threat.

Their clothes are different from my clothes!  Look at what they're wearing!