What Do You Think?

[janetyu]

It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

copied from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS328184232020110126?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r3:c0.078947:b41287930:z0


Jesse Ventura Sues The TSA

Wed Jan 26, 2011


Philosophers agree, there are three rules that everyone should follow in order to live a life free of trouble:

#1. Never mess with a dude whose nickname was once “The Body.”

#2. Never mess with a dude who fought the Predator.

#3. Never — under any circumstances — mess with a dude who has a chin that looks like the tip of a man’s junk.

The TSA didn’t follow those essential life rules and that’s why they’re being sued by a man who fits all three criteria: former wrestler Jesse Ventura.

Now that he’s too old to take matters into his own hands, Ventura is suing the TSA because he’s tired of getting pat down when his titanium hip replacement sets off the metal detector going through airport security.

Ventura sides with the minority of sensitive travelers who think the TSA’s security measures violate their Fourth Amendment right protecting them against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Even though those residual checks from The Running Man probably aren’t bringing in the big bucks anymore, he’s not suing the TSA for monetary damages. Instead, he wants a court to agree that his rights have been violated and make him exempt from future screening procedures.

Sure, “The Body” is now “The Old Broken Body” and he may not as intimidating as he used to be, but it’s probably wiser to give him special treatment than risk getting body slammed by a dude with a metal hip. Do you know how much that would hurt?

[janetyu]

copied from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70O7L520110125?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r5:c0.036184:b41287930:z0

Jesse "The Body" Ventura objects to airport body scans

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Cable news channel MSNBC has been in talks with Minnesota's independent governor Jesse Ventura about hosting a political talk show after he leaves office in January, a source said November 13, 2002.
Credit: Reuters
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MINNEAPOLIS | Tue Jan 25, 2011 5:35pm EST

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Former professional wrestler, Minnesota governor and current TV show host Jesse "The Body" Ventura objects to having the U.S. government get a close look at his body while going through airport security.

In a lawsuit filed this week against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, Ventura claims that airport full-body scans and pat-downs violate his Constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

The department had no immediate comment on Tuesday regarding the lawsuit filed on Monday.

Ventura, who currently hosts the television program "Conspiracy Theory," had hip replacement surgery in 2008 and received a titanium implant. The implant sets off airport metal detectors.

Before November, 2010, Ventura had to go through a non-invasive hand-wand inspection when he set off the alarm. But since new security measures took effect last November, Ventura says he has been subject to pat-down body searches or whole body imaging, which uses backscatter x-ray or millimeter wave technology to look through clothing for weapons or explosive material.

Ventura, who has to fly two or three times a week for his TV show, said in his lawsuit that the full-body scans are "intrusive" and "degrading," as well as a possible health risk, while the pat-downs include "touching, gripping and rubbing of the genital and other sensitive areas."

Ventura noted that he has to go through the scans despite the fact that he is a frequent flyer, a former governor, a U.S. Navy veteran, and has an easily verifiable medical condition. Ventura could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

[janetyu]

copied from:
http://travel.newsvine.com/_news/2011/01/24/5911573-jesse-ventura-sues-tsa-in-pat-down-smackdown#comments

by Chris-749391
Tue Jan 25, 2011

I have a great deal of empathy for Jessie Ventura. I got a knee replacement in December 2009 and will probably have another late this year.

But the TSA's treatment of me as a result is stunningly bad. For example, at Reagan, I set off the "gate" metal detector. I told the TSA agent that I has an artificial knee. He just shouted "Knee!" and pointed me to the body scanner. Despite the claims that the screener was in another room, this turned out not to be true --- the screener was right there and people passing by could see the screen. The high-tech scanner must have not worked because I was then sent to the "intensive" pat-down area. There the TSA agent felt of my entire body and paid special attention to my penis and testes, feeling of each very carefully with gloved thumb and fingers. He then ran his hand in my shirt and felt of my breasts and ran his fingers inside the waistband of my undershorts.

1) At no time was I offered any options or any privacy. The TSA agents made it quite clear that I complied unquestioningly or I did not fly.

2) The TSA agents wore rubber gloves, presumably to protect them from disease. But they did not change gloves between passengers. This in itself is extremely poor policy. If there is a need for them to wear gloves, then it is imperative that they change gloves between victims.

3) At no time did anyone express any interest in my knee or even determine that my prosthesis was the cause of the original alarm.

4) I was told that in the future that I should allow an extra hour, for a total of 3 for domestic and 4 for international flights, because I was being placed on a permanent intensive search list. I was told that this decision could not be appealed.

We are spending billions and billions of dollars on security theater that has never caught a single terrorist or stopped a single attempt. We have, however, created a situation where thousands of TSA agents and baggage handlers have perfected the methodology for stealing valuables from your baggage. Over 7,000 TSA screeners have been "furloughed" for this, but only 2 actually charged. The TSA claims that they donate all confiscated items to the Boy Scouts. The BSA denies this. You can go on eBay and see what the TSA agents do with the swag --- they sell it.

Everyone says --- we need to be like Israel. But if you look carefully at Israel, you see a different story. There are only two airports in Israel and they serve international flights only. The two airports are so close together that when they ramped up security in the 1970's, all domestic flights were shut down permanently. You can get a bus between airports (a 3-hour trip) and that is it. You need to arrive 5 hours prior to your flight and can expect to be manhandled, grilled, and embarrassed --- but only if you look Arabic. Israelis claim that they can just look at a person and tell an Arab from a Jew. This is such nonsense since both are of identical genetic stock (both are Semites.)

Jesse is right. I would be willing to give the TSA the benefit of a doubt IF they were using enough common sense to have a realistic chance of catching a terrorist. But they are only reacting to the LAST attempt, not the NEXT attempt. If I can figure it out, terrorists can figure it out.

I would have been perfectly happy if, when I triggered the gate alarm, the TSA agent asked me if I had any metal on me. I would have told him that I had an artificial knee and he would have wanded the knee. If he had any doubts, he could have asked me to pull up my pants leg and show him the scar. No high tech scanners, no intrusive body pat-downs, no time wasted. Just a little cheap common sense.

Go Jessie!