Comments on: TSA head: We know nothing of Chertoff's pornoscanner conflict of interest. Also, who wants ice cream! http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 18 May 2013 10:28:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: sloverlord http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942081 sloverlord Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942081 It does neither. One of these machines takes about 15 seconds to do a full scan, literally an order of magnitude longer than walking through a metal detector. And they can't detect anything in body cavities. And even if the were faster and more effective, the fact that you're tossing away your rights and privacy so cavalierly is terrifying. Please tell me you don't vote. It does neither. One of these machines takes about 15 seconds to do a full scan, literally an order of magnitude longer than walking through a metal detector. And they can’t detect anything in body cavities.

And even if the were faster and more effective, the fact that you’re tossing away your rights and privacy so cavalierly is terrifying. Please tell me you don’t vote.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942083 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942083 Why in the world would you assume it would make your security checks either faster or safer? I mean I'd put up with a cavity search if it guaranteed fast, effective, useful security. But it wouldn't. It would just be humiliating hand-waving in order to make people feel kind of almost sort of safer a bit, but also sore. Why in the world would you assume it would make your security checks either faster or safer?

I mean I’d put up with a cavity search if it guaranteed fast, effective, useful security. But it wouldn’t. It would just be humiliating hand-waving in order to make people feel kind of almost sort of safer a bit, but also sore.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942851 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942851 I'm not sure how you can find out whether an airport has rapiscans or not, but afaik Philly International does not yet. Taking a flight out of there next week, though... I’m not sure how you can find out whether an airport has rapiscans or not, but afaik Philly International does not yet. Taking a flight out of there next week, though…

]]> By: bassplayinben http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942088 bassplayinben Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942088 John Pistole is a robot. John Pistole is a robot.

]]> By: Viadd http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942603 Viadd Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942603 Anon#53: You have 10 million flights per year. But that's in airplanes, the number of passengers per year is more like 800 million. So multiply by 80 to get about 5 people per year killed by these things. (Or if you prefer, it's like the TSA choosing to blow up a plane full of passengers every 17 years instead of just putting a bullet in one person's head.) Anon#53:
You have 10 million flights per year. But that’s in airplanes, the number of passengers per year is more like 800 million. So multiply by 80 to get about 5 people per year killed by these things.

(Or if you prefer, it’s like the TSA choosing to blow up a plane full of passengers every 17 years instead of just putting a bullet in one person’s head.)

]]> By: eris404 http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942094 eris404 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942094 wait a minute - they are actually called Rapiscans? I thought that was a joke (as in rape - a - scan). I know it's a play on the word "rapid" but in hindsight, that is a terrible name. wait a minute – they are actually called Rapiscans? I thought that was a joke (as in rape – a – scan). I know it’s a play on the word “rapid” but in hindsight, that is a terrible name.

]]> By: Blaine http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942606 Blaine Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942606 bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch. You people HAVE an option. That's why they're doing both!! I swear there's not a rational bone in any of your bodies. (Full disclosure, I'm currently working on a device that rips out all of your pubic hair searching for explosives residue unless you give me one hundred and four dollars. And opting out of entering the device is, apparently, cause for a civil suit. I'm making us safer.) bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch.

You people HAVE an option. That’s why they’re doing both!!
I swear there’s not a rational bone in any of your bodies.

(Full disclosure, I’m currently working on a device that rips out all of your pubic hair searching for explosives residue unless you give me one hundred and four dollars. And opting out of entering the device is, apparently, cause for a civil suit. I’m making us safer.)

]]> By: akbar56 http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942352 akbar56 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942352 I love how he claims the pat down of the three year old was an urban legend yet did we not see video of that here just this week? I love how he claims the pat down of the three year old was an urban legend yet did we not see video of that here just this week?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942101 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942101 This is terrifying... why do we know more about these machines than the guy in charge of the TSA? What else doesn't he know?!? This is terrifying… why do we know more about these machines than the guy in charge of the TSA?

What else doesn’t he know?!?

]]> By: sg http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942103 sg Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942103 the eternal question: is he stupid, or is he lying? I vote "both." the eternal question: is he stupid, or is he lying?

I vote “both.”

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942107 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942107 Yes, they are. I walked by the machine in Orlando airport earlier this week and was highly amused at the eponysterical 'Rapiscan Systems' screen displayed on the back of the unit. Yes, they are. I walked by the machine in Orlando airport earlier this week and was highly amused at the eponysterical ‘Rapiscan Systems’ screen displayed on the back of the unit.

]]> By: Unmutual http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942108 Unmutual Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942108 It uses X-Ray radiation at very low levels . . . to say X-Ray is "safe" is misleading. It can cause cancer in high enough doses, and even in low doses in very rare cases. "Safe" is just shorthand in the medical community because X-Ray is a diagnostic tool with a value that far, far outweighs potential risks, but even then, it is off limits to pregnant and potentially pregnant women, and the rest of us wear gonad shields and lead shields over parts of the body not being X-Rayed. So when we say "safe" we are talking cost vs. benefit. The catch here is that there is <i>no benefit</i> to these stupid devices. A time saver (which they aren't, really) is not a good enough benefit. The reality is that if we want to live in a free society we have to live with a little bit of risk and danger. Only cowards support eroding our freedom and our privacy in favor of a little more safety, and really it is only perceived safety. A safety placebo if you will. It uses X-Ray radiation at very low levels . . . to say X-Ray is “safe” is misleading. It can cause cancer in high enough doses, and even in low doses in very rare cases. “Safe” is just shorthand in the medical community because X-Ray is a diagnostic tool with a value that far, far outweighs potential risks, but even then, it is off limits to pregnant and potentially pregnant women, and the rest of us wear gonad shields and lead shields over parts of the body not being X-Rayed.

So when we say “safe” we are talking cost vs. benefit.

The catch here is that there is no benefit to these stupid devices. A time saver (which they aren’t, really) is not a good enough benefit.

The reality is that if we want to live in a free society we have to live with a little bit of risk and danger. Only cowards support eroding our freedom and our privacy in favor of a little more safety, and really it is only perceived safety. A safety placebo if you will.

]]> By: geezer http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-945949 geezer Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-945949 Actually, if you judge by his "pat down" procedures John Pistole is from the "upper u s" Actually, if you judge by his “pat down” procedures John Pistole is from the “upper u s”

]]> By: Tetsubo http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942372 Tetsubo Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942372 Until my 4th amendment rights are protected, I will never step onto airport property again. I am not giving up my rights to get on board a glorified bus. Until my 4th amendment rights are protected, I will never step onto airport property again. I am not giving up my rights to get on board a glorified bus.

]]> By: Patient http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942124 Patient Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942124 I find this more fitting personally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqHJrdXj0s I find this more fitting personally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqHJrdXj0s

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942385 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942385 I wonder what would happen if you started to perform the same procedure on the TSA screener who was giving you the pat down. "What? Apparently this is an okay thing to do to people." I wonder what would happen if you started to perform the same procedure on the TSA screener who was giving you the pat down. “What? Apparently this is an okay thing to do to people.”

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942131 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942131 Except for it makes them neither faster nor safer. Except for it makes them neither faster nor safer.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942402 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942402 Interview? What interview? All I noticed was a world and cosmic rings revolving and intersecting rhythmically... left, right... calming me and lulling me into a sense of, um, security. Seriously, it is no wonder the average consumer of TV news has no idea what is going on if that kind of hypnotic device is in regular use. (I am not in the USA and have never watched anything from CNN before. I genuinely did find it hard to focus on the content.) Interview? What interview?

All I noticed was a world and cosmic rings revolving and intersecting rhythmically… left, right… calming me and lulling me into a sense of, um, security.

Seriously, it is no wonder the average consumer of TV news has no idea what is going on if that kind of hypnotic device is in regular use. (I am not in the USA and have never watched anything from CNN before. I genuinely did find it hard to focus on the content.)

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942152 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942152 In all seriousness, will this thing see my weed? In all seriousness, will this thing see my weed?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942409 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942409 I'm a bit curious about the pat downs. Do they change gloves between each person? I would hate to get crabs just because the person ahead of me has them. I’m a bit curious about the pat downs. Do they change gloves between each person? I would hate to get crabs just because the person ahead of me has them.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942163 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942163 Is it just me, or does John Pistole have empty, empty eyes? Is it just me, or does John Pistole have empty, empty eyes?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942428 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942428 And obviously the word rapscallion actually means raping an onion. And obviously the word rapscallion actually means raping an onion.

]]> By: Ugly Canuck http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942173 Ugly Canuck Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942173 Not to be confused with Rapistan, the (Turkish?) rap group: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU5rqEYt5Po Not to be confused with Rapistan, the (Turkish?) rap group:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU5rqEYt5Po

]]> By: VibroCount http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942178 VibroCount Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942178 Will Pistole stop spinning once he's in his grave? He asks us to do our own research while instructing us to use his information. He spouts the same talking points everywhere, but when confronted with a reasonable question about a conflict of interest, he doesn't hesitate a moment, just moves right along covering the bullet points, avoiding real answers. Will Pistole stop spinning once he’s in his grave?

He asks us to do our own research while instructing us to use his information. He spouts the same talking points everywhere, but when confronted with a reasonable question about a conflict of interest, he doesn’t hesitate a moment, just moves right along covering the bullet points, avoiding real answers.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942441 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942441 I've just done the maths, and it's about where I expected it to be. http://www.rapiscansystems.com/sec1000faqs.html states: 10 microREM per scan which is 1e-7 sieverts. http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/34532 cites a source which is 404'd: 30,000 flights per day so, 10 million/year, for a total dose of 1 man-sievert/year. Assuming the Linear No Threshold model, according to the 'Committee on Radioactive Waste Management' at http://tinyurl.com/36qajsy, the number of fatalities per man-sievert is 0.06. So we're expecting a death at some point in the next 17 years, if we assume everyone gets scanned. As I said: about what I expected. I’ve just done the maths, and it’s about where I expected it to be.

http://www.rapiscansystems.com/sec1000faqs.html states:
10 microREM per scan
which is 1e-7 sieverts.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/34532 cites a source which is 404′d:
30,000 flights per day
so, 10 million/year, for a total dose of 1 man-sievert/year.

Assuming the Linear No Threshold model, according to the ‘Committee on Radioactive Waste Management’ at http://tinyurl.com/36qajsy, the number of fatalities per man-sievert is 0.06.

So we’re expecting a death at some point in the next 17 years, if we assume everyone gets scanned. As I said: about what I expected.

]]> By: Darryl http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942188 Darryl Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942188 Funny that nobody mentioned at 5:41 how Anderson mentions getting a pat-down himself and stumbles finding the words to describe it: "They basically, feel you up. I got one this weekend... It's quite um... I'm not even sure how to describe it... It's quite, intimate." [Snickering] Funny that nobody mentioned at 5:41 how Anderson mentions getting a pat-down himself and stumbles finding the words to describe it:

“They basically, feel you up. I got one this weekend…

It’s quite um… I’m not even sure how to describe it… It’s quite, intimate.”

[Snickering]

]]> By: bobhughes http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942191 bobhughes Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942191 I think "pornowave" sounds more sensational than "porno-scanner", and is certainly more apropos in that it alludes to a microwave oven. Not being picky here or anything.. just sayin'! I think “pornowave” sounds more sensational than “porno-scanner”, and is certainly more apropos in that it alludes to a microwave oven.
Not being picky here or anything.. just sayin’!

]]> By: Lt DirtyFreq http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942198 Lt DirtyFreq Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942198 You know, I bet John here doesn't have to walk through the scanner or get a pat down. I bet he gets to just walk on by. .. I'm not 100% sure but that's how I feel after watching this video. Also why didn't they ask about the radiation these machines give out too? VibroCount, I agree with what you said. You know, I bet John here doesn’t have to walk through the scanner or get a pat down. I bet he gets to just walk on by. .. I’m not 100% sure but that’s how I feel after watching this video. Also why didn’t they ask about the radiation these machines give out too? VibroCount, I agree with what you said.

]]> By: RedShirt77 http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942200 RedShirt77 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942200 "Pornoscanner" I mean really, is this where this debate really needs to go. Why not just call it the "Rapeing-murder-incest-pedopphile-Nazi-Holocaust-genital laugh-a-tron-Mutilator-machine"? “Pornoscanner” I mean really, is this where this debate really needs to go. Why not just call it the “Rapeing-murder-incest-pedopphile-Nazi-Holocaust-genital laugh-a-tron-Mutilator-machine”?

]]> By: mappo http://boingboing.net/2010/11/18/tsa-head-we-know-not.html#comment-942201 mappo Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-942201 Soo...is that a wig? Toupee? Just a really bad dye job? And why is he shaving off his eyebrows? Soo…is that a wig? Toupee? Just a really bad dye job? And why is he shaving off his eyebrows?

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