Maybe I should just show up naked.

I don't think I want a complete stranger seeing me this way.  I've been told Mr. TSA agent is off in a room somewhere and doesn't see the full color version of me, but still - this is humiliating. Oh and don't think for a moment that only same sex agents are viewing these scans. In addition, there are reports surfacing that machines like these - that are not supposed to be storing images - actually are.

Not that the alternative is any better.  The pat down certainly lasts longer and is just as invasive.  TSA agents must thoroughly explain every move they're going to make before they make it. I appreciate that, but let's just get on with it - I have a plane to catch.  And don't get me started on the reported aggressive pat downs of children.  You would never let anyone touch your kid this way, why does the government get to?

I suppose you've heard the quote in the headlines recently from the guy on his way to South Dakota for a hunting trip who refused the body scan and opted for the pat down instead.  He had his camera phone recording the whole event.  After the TSA agent explained how he was going to "inspect" his groin region, the reluctant traveler said, "you touch my junk and I'll have you arrested".  This set off a chain of events that led to the gentleman canceling his trip and exiting the airport in a huff.  I can't say that I blame him.  

The latest polls show that Americans seem to be okay with scanners....for now.  Of course, they're still new and we haven't yet arrived at the biggest travel weekend of the year. But, still at what point do we take back our personal rights and say there's just got to be another way?  Everyone wants to be safe, but must we give the federal government such leeway into our personal space to achieve it?  They're rushing these scanners into service when they're not fully proven to be 100% reliable and there hasn't been enough time to test the effects of the radiation emitted from them.  How safe would you feel if you're a flight attendant or a pilot and are required to be subjected to a scan possibly several times in one day?

This Thanksgiving weekend should be interesting in airports across the country.  I'm glad I'm staying home.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/us_senators_expected_to_questi.html
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/16/leaked-images-body-scanners-hit-web/print

Flyers liken pat downs to sexual assault:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40257031/ns/travel-news/

See below for article on machines saving images:
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/17/5482640-how-to-steal-a-body-scan-picture
Posted by NAOMI THOMPSON at 7:46 AM

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I didn’t dip my toe in an ocean until I turned 25 and my friend Sandy and I traveled to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. After that week, I was hooked. I loved being somewhere new; smelling the smells, tasting new food, seeing how other people lived. It energized me. As luck would have it, I landed a job that allowed me to travel all over the US and often to Canada. Being a sports event television producer, I was on the road all the time. That's when my love affair with travel began. Now, its 20 years later and still no one gets more “geeked up” about planning a vacation than I do. All I need is a destination and some travel companions and my fire is lit! I start delving into my favorite hotel sites, sifting through photos and reviews, comparing, contrasting -it’s like an addiction. The travel shows with tips and trends? I study them like a playbook. I LOVE doing the things most people hate doing before they go on vacation. Whether it be searching for a food tasting tour with a local or discovering a romantic B&B in the middle of New York - I’ve found it and I’ll share it with you. So....where should we go?