I did not have to travel for Thanksgiving this year. With all I've been hearing about the intrusive but ineffective airport security, courtesy of the TSA, not having to travel was a relief. From what I understand, the risk of health-related problems (e.g., cancer) from the full-body scanners is probably fairly small. Yet, it seems like this small risk is probably quite a bit larger than the risk that someone will get hurt in a terrorist attack. That is, the scanners are going to cause skin cancer in some people. And while the risk of skin cancer may be fairly small, one thing seems virtually certain: the scanners reveal too much, and this will be abused.

Of course, passengers can opt-out of being scanned and instead submit to aggressive pat-downs as long as they don't complain about being groped. What a choice!

Giving up our civil liberties under the guise of safety is a mistake. You and I are more likely to be struck by lighting than we are to be the victims of a terrorist attack. We should not have to endure indignities of this sort in a civilized society.

It is for these reasons I signed FireDogLake's petition asking Congress to investigate the TSA.

Subscribe to Red State Progressive