Scanner and Pat Down Haters

What do you think about the new scanner and pat down procedure at the airport? I'm sure no one cares about my opinion but I have to say, I am really sick of hearing people irate about it and the boycott initiatives being reported. It appears that it is people in the racial majority who are really against it (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/24/underpants-beat-airport-body-scanners). Welcome to the inconvenience that people of color endure on a daily basis.

Everyday people of color are profiled for any number of reasons, by police for suspicion of drugs, by airport security for suspicion of terrorism, by retailers for suspicion of shop lifting and the list goes on and on. People are all for profiling when it can help protect them from terrorist threat. That is as long as they are not the group that is being profiled. Now that everyone is being subjected to the same procedure people are whining at epic proportions.

I do not disagree that the pat down procedure is extremely invasive and there are legitimate health concerns for pilots but safety is the number one concern. Pilots aside, it is important for everyone to comply with the new procedure. Bombs are getting smaller and smaller making them harder to detect. Remember the Detroit bomber? Cries that not enough was being done to secure safety filled the airways. Now that more is being done people are complaining again. Is this maddening to anyone else but me?

Yes, yes, I know, terrorist will find a way around this, TSA needs more training, these new rules only create fear, there are more effective tools for bomb detection (ultrasound is one example), etc., etc., etc., we can keep making excuses, do nothing and continue to complain or we can get off our butt and make an effort. Even if we are one step behind the terrorist, isn't that better than being 100 steps behind? We want less intrusive procedures but we don't want the government to spend anymore money so what we want is something for nothing. God bless America.

Here is what I propose. There should always be two separate flights. One for people who do not want to go through the scanner or subject themselves to the pat down procedure and a separate for those who will. Then, if the flights of the scanner and pat down haters comes under terrorist attack then no one should complain, their families can not sue airport security or the airline or blame the government for poor homeland security. Problem solved!