This is TSA Security Theater

TSA Security Theater

The federal government's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently dictated new airport security procedures that leave us travelers with the choice of a virtual strip search in a full body scanner or a very hands-on pat down that touches breasts and genitals.

This security theater makes us less safe. It is ineffective and dangerous. It tramples our basic human dignity and liberty. It presents a serious health risk. Flying is simply not worth the trouble anymore. We Won't Fly is a consumer advocate that speaks out in defense of air travelers.

TSA: Ineffective and Dangerous

TSA Security Theater is Ineffective and Dangerous

The scanners do not detect the explosives used by the underwear bomber - the pretext for rolling them out in the first place. A former head of Israeli airport security says he can get enough explosives through them to take down a 747. The pat downs can't detect weapons inside the body. The risk of dying from scanner radiation is equal to the risk of dying in a terrorist attack. And theTSA focuses on dangerous objects instead of dangerous people.

Passengers stopped the shoe and underwear bombers, not the TSA. In order to remain effective, passengers must be vigilant and focused. But the TSA lulls us into a false sense of security and often intimidates and humiliates passengers. This TSA security theater actually makes us less safe.

Dignity and Liberty Trampled

TSA Tramples Our Dignity and Liberty

TSA agents routinely treat travelers like dirt. The scanner images - which can be saved and transmitted - leave little to the imagination. The "enhanced" pat downs involve touching, often directly, of breasts and genitals and, sometimes, removal of prosthetics.

There are reports of pants being dropped, strip searches behind closed doors, hands down pants and exposed breasts. The TSA is trampling our basic human dignity, not to mention our liberty. Without these, what do we have left? The TSA traumatizes the most vulnerable in our communities: children, grandmas and sexual assault survivors. Victims can be moved to tears or relive past traumas. Will you tolerate this?

TSA Risks our Health

TSA Risks our Health

Neither of the two scanners - millimeter wave or x-ray "backscatter" - have been proven safe. In fact, the TSA itself recently retracted an earlier claim that a Johns Hopkins study proved the scanners' safety. University of California scientists recently informed the white house that the radiation dosage is higher than what TSA will admit and disproportionately affects eyes, breasts, testicles and skin.

TSA screeners don't change gloves between pat downs, risking the spread of contagion, such as lice (see picture at right), scabies, the difficult-to-treat MRSA or worse. Do you want to become a casualty of this dangerous experiment?

Flying Not Worth the Trouble

Flying Not Worth the Trouble

Flying commercial airlines is simply not worth it anymore. The TSA treats us like dirt. They lock us in glass cages. They take our stuff, feel us up and traumatize our most vulnerable. They rob of us our dignity. And all of this for no additional security benefit. The terrorists have truly won.

With 61% opposed to the new scanning and groping TSA security theater and 48% looking for alternatives to flying (Zogby 11/23), you are not alone. Together we are standing up in a civil and dignified manner to demand real security that doesn't trample our basic human dignity.

You Can Make a Difference

You Can Make a Difference

Our principled resistance made the TSA dial back the scanning and groping on November 24. Together, we can roll back this new security theater entirely.

Real Security

What does Real Security Look Like?

We need real security, not security theater. Al-Qaeda is an agile, networked organization. The TSA is a top-down, lumbering bureuacracy. Al-Qaeda operatives are independent operators. TSA employees are order-takers. It’s like David and Goliath, the Viet Cong vs the US Army, Luke vs the Death Star. The TSA is structurally incapable of defending against this threat.

Airlines must work with us, their customers, to find effective security solutions that don't wantonly trample our dignity or health. Given choice, we can vote with our dollars. May the best solutions win. Privatization to crony corporations is not the answer. We need effective, accountable security informed by viable examples around the world.

For Basic Human Dignity and Liberty at Airport Checkpoints

Here’s What You Can Do

  1. STOP FLYING.
  2. Join our Targeted Meltdown Campaign.
  3. Join our National Billboard Campaign.
  4. Join us for Dec 23rd – We Won’t Fly Day.
  5. Take photos of TSA checkpoints.
  6. Demand fresh gloves for pat downs.
  7. Protest to the airlines.
  8. Share your experience with EPIC.
  9. File a complaint with the ACLU.
  10. Make a fuss to the hotels.
  11. Create a video saying why you won’t fly.
  12. Read our daily TSA Resistance Blog.
  13. Demand the pilots stand with us.
  14. Get your local govt to ban the scanners.
  15. Complain to the government.
  16. File a TSA Civil Rights complaint.
  17. Tell us your TSA story.
  18. Tweet with hashtag #wontfly.
  19. Got more ideas? Share them!

We are opposed to the full-body airport “porno”-scanners and “enhanced” pat downs on grounds of privacy, ineffectiveness and health. The federal government’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is putting on a security theater and it only makes us less safe. We do not consent to strip searches, virtual or otherwise. We do not wish to be guinea pigs for new, and possibly dangerous, technology. We are not criminals. We are your customers. We will not beg the government anymore. We will simply stop flying until the porno-scanners are history and we have real passenger security instead.

We will not be abused simply for the privilege of purchasing your services. We demand the airlines make their maximum lobbying effort in support of our, your customers’, rights and liberties. We are eager to fly again, but only when this invasive threat has been contained.

The Plan is Simple

  1. Don’t fly. Hit the airlines in the pocketbook until the scanners and gropers are gone. Make the airlines work for us.
  2. If you absolutely, positively must fly, opt out of the scanners. Do it to protect your health and privacy. Demand a fresh pair of gloves for your “enhanced” pat down.
  3. RAISE HOLY HELL. Register your disapproval of the scanners and gropers to your airline, your hotel and all government officials who claim to work for you. Educate your community. See the list on the right side of this page for things you can do.

“It is breathtaking to witness the speed at which a mere bureaucracy has undone the dignity and freedom of Americans”, said We Won’t Fly co-founder Jim Babb. “The TSA can not continue without our consent. Act now. Opt out. Better yet, just don’t fly.”

The Goal

The goal of We Won’t Fly is (1) roll back the scanners and gropers; (2) abolish the federal government’s TSA; and (3) replace it with decentralized passenger security that is competent to defend us against the terrorist threat without compromising our basic human dignity or liberty.

“If the threat is Al-Qaeda,” said We Won’t Fly co-founder George Donnelly, “the TSA will never be a match for it. Al-Qaeda is networked and agile while the TSA is a lumbering, top-down giant. We need decentralized security where those closest to the action can call the shots.”

Because they Make you LESS Secure

The scanners actually make passengers less secure. Leading Israeli airport security expert Rafi Sela says the scanners are ineffective. “I don’t know why everybody is running to buy these expensive and useless machines. I can overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to bring down a Boeing 747,” he said. The millimeter wave scanners do not detect the kind of powdered explosives used in January’s attempted underwear bomber attack. The TSA doesn’t claim that the x-ray backscatter scanners do either! Alert passengers stopped the underwear bomber, the shoe bomber and stopped an airplane from striking the white house on September 11. We passengers have a better track record than the TSA, yet the TSA humiliates us, intimidates us and lulls us into a false sense of security with their security theater.

“I don’t know why everybody is running to buy these expensive and useless machines. I can overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to bring down a Boeing 747,” said Rafi Sela, leading Israeli airport security expert.

Safeguard your Privacy

CNN catches TSA in a lie.

A recent article in the San Diego Entertainer on August 31, 2010 stated that “the scans are detailed enough to identify a person’s gender… to identify a passenger’s surgery scars, or to discern whether a woman is on her menstrual cycle or not.” CNN has reports that scanner images can be stored and shared by design. As CBS News recently reported, US Marshals saved 35,000 images from similar scanners at just one courthouse. The bottom line is that the TSA is forcing us to trade our privacy for absolutely no security in return. There is no balance.

“This time they’ve gone too far,” declared Philadelphia We Won’t Fly Day co-organizer Ken Krawchuk. “I have three beautiful daughters, and the last thing I want is some stranger groping them or snapping nude pictures under color of law. Every parent should be outraged at such a gross violation of their children’s privacy. Enough is enough!”

Protect your Health

As University of California scientists noted earlier this year, the airport scanners may pose a serious health risk. “Our overriding concern is the extent to which the safety of this scanning device has been adequately demonstrated. This can only be determined by a meeting of an impartial panel of experts that would include medical physicists and radiation biologists at which all of the available relevant data is reviewed,” they said in a letter of concern earlier this month. The TSA has not demonstrated the safety of these machines and it’s their own employees who are most at risk!

“Despite fearful rhetoric to the contrary, terrorism is not a transcendent threat. A terrorist attack cannot possibly destroy a country’s way of life; it’s only our reaction to that attack that can do that kind of damage. The more we undermine our own laws, the more we convert our buildings into fortresses, the more we reduce the freedoms and liberties at the foundation of our societies, the more we’re doing the terrorists’ job for them.” – Bruce Schneier

Alternatives to Flying

Each and every day, there are ten times as many general aviation flights as commercial ones. There are less than 500 airports throughout the country served by the commercial airlines. Yet there are over 5,000 airports open to general aviation. Amtrak’s premium Acela service in the northeast corridor or sleeper cars for longer rides are another option. Telephone or video conference software such as Skype, GoToMyPC or LiveMeeting may suffice in some situations. Greyhound boasts 16,000 daily departures to 31,000 destinations by bus. Consider all your options before handing over your hard-earned dollars to the airlines.

“If you or your loved ones are submitted to humiliating, rude, or indecent actions in line, please speak up to defend them. If you are suddenly confronted with an unacceptable grope, please call out loudly enough for others in line to know what just happened. Do not take this silently. I was hurt (and appalled later) that no one spoke up for me; the silence was deafening.” – Anonymous

We Can Do it

A few committed individuals are working together to effect positive change. If we don’t take action, however meager and ineffective it may seem at first, the ability to opt out may soon disappear. We may soon find these porno-scanners on our roads, in our train stations and sports stadiums. We must end this dangerous and invasive technology here and now! Join us!

Contact We Won’t Fly

For more information, contact George Donnelly at 941 538 6399 or [email protected] or Jim Babb at 610-574-1222 or [email protected]. Inquiries in Spanish are accepted by George Donnelly.


Same Day Payday Loans Online to Cover Your Emergency Needs

Some people need fast cash loans to cover their personal or business needs. If you are one of them, same day payday loan funding might be the best financial advice for you. This type of borrowing has become the fastest-growing financial tool. It has also become a huge financial risk for funders and borrowers alike.

In some cases, you may not be able to access funds until you meet certain criteria. This can be your age, US residency or citizenship, employment status, bank deposit, and so on. If you have everything to qualify for same day loans, you can proceed with an application procedure.

There is a nuance, though — some same day loans turn out to be quite costly. To be on the safe side, make sure that you can comfortably cover any debt you get by its due date. Well, there are some more details you should know.

Features of Same Day Loans

Same day payday loans onlie has certain features. Here are some of them:

  • Instant cash by the end of the day
  • Less hassle from the comfort of your home
  • Quick process takes around 15 minutes from start to finish
  • Minimal requirements to personal information
  • No examination of credit history

Reasons to Get a Same Day Payday Loan Online

Almost 70% of Americans have less than $1,000 on their bank accounts. Almost half of them have no savings at all. The cost of living is getting higher, while financial obligations are getting bigger. Those people with limited access to funds may find same day loans reasonable for covering expenses like:

  • Loss of job income
  • Emergency home repairs
  • Tuition fees
  • Unexpected car repairs
  • Last-minute journey
  • Sudden moves due to life circumstances

How to Get a Same-Day Loan

Getting your cash is a straightforward process. It usually involves three major steps:

  • Apply online – You need to choose a well-trusted and well-reputed funding company that has a suitable offer. Then, you will fill in an online form by entering some personal details. It usually takes minutes to take the first step, and there’s no cost to apply.
  • Get approved – An online funder will provide an instant decision. If you’re approved, you will need to sign a contract with an electronic signature to get the requested funds to your bank account.
  • Get your money - Money is traditionally deposited by the end of the business day. If your application is approved in the evening, the transaction will be completed in the morning. The main point is that the entire process doesn’t take more than 24 hours.

Whether you face a car breakdown, medical treatment, or other unexpected situation, online same day payday loan is one of the fastest ways to handle the situation. Although it is not suitable for long-term borrowing, it is perfect for short-term borrowing prospects. It is easy to obtain during a difficult financial period.

 

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