Everywhere you look this Turkey Day, you will see shiny, happy news articles originating from the TSA about how the "opt out protest was a wash out." According to them, travelers are delighted with the new security procedures, which did not delay or inconvenience travelers. The TSA is rolling out its PR campaign with wonderful statistics such as that only one percent of travelers opted out of the full body scanners on National Opt Out day.
But there's a catch.
What the TSA is apparently hiding, is that in their desperation to counter the public outcry over new objectionable procedures, many backscatter machines were turned off yesterday, allowing security lines to file quickly as usual through metal detectors, and resulting in minimal protests or pat-downs.
In the world of Security Theater, we now have theater-within-theater, none of it having anything to do with actual security:
This action by the TSA also shows that the TSA is desperately trying to avoid being publicly embarrassed by the national-opt-out day protests. Lots of local and national news film crews were out at the airports today, hoping to catch something interesting on camera. But by turning off the naked body scanners, the TSA was able to stage a "calm looking" day at the airport.
As soon as the TV cameras leave, however, they can turn those machines right back on and start molesting people once again. This is classic behavior of police state tyrants: They present a calm, professional image to the media, but once the cameras leave, all of a sudden their hands are back down in your pants.
I predict the TSA will have the machines turned right back on by Friday, and more reports of sexual molestation and inappropriate pat-downs will continue to emerge. (emphasis added)
Personally, I find this prediction quite believable, and will be watching for it. I also now know just how to interpret all the happy-talk coming from the TSA right now.
Well, I'm off to cook a turkey dinner for a big family get together. For once, my winger brother and I will agree about one issue: the TSA's unconstitutional behavior. The difference is that I have been against it since before the unconstitutional so called "Patriot Act" was passed, and he's only just coming around.
It's family Bipartisanship--Thanks TSA! /snark.
We're not fooled by either the Security Theater, or the Security Theater-Within-Theater.