Polls Indicate Americans Waking Up To TSA Tyranny

Majority against groping measures, more are turning against naked body scanners

Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
Tuesday, Nov 23rd, 2010

A new national poll indicates that the majority of Americans are against the enhanced TSA pat-downs that some have likened to sexual molestation, while more travelers are turning against the full body scanners as they learn more about the risks associated with the technology.

The issue has been forced into the mainstream right in time for Thanksgiving, which coincides with a national opt-out day, during which thousands traveling to see their relatives will refuse to co-operate with over the top TSA security procedures.

The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, conducted Nov. 21, reveals that public support for the radiation-firing imaging machines has dropped to 64%.

This still represents a strong majority, however it is encouraging to note that an earlier CBS News poll conducted Nov. 7-10 found that 81% supported the machines.

This means that in the space of just over one week, public support of the scanning machines dropped by around 17 percentage points.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

If you factor in travelers who say they are less frequent fliers, support for the scanners drops to 58%.

In total, 32% now say they are opposed to the machines, according to the Washington Post/ABC poll.

There can be little doubt that this shift in popular support is a direct result of the increase in media attention regarding the dangers of the scanners and the threat to privacy that the machines represent.

The Drudge Report in particular has carried links to such stories among its top headlines for a fortnight now.

In addition, the decision on behalf of pilots and flight attendants to speak out regarding the adverse health effects associated with the backscatter x-ray devices has clearly influenced public opinion. Both pilots and flight attendants have now been granted exemption from the machines.

It will be most interesting to see if the percentage figures drop even further next week as the surveys catch up with the height of the news coverage.

The latest poll also indicates that a majority of Americans are against the enhanced pat down procedures that the TSA now operates, with 50% saying the thorough pat-downs, which allow workers to grope breasts and genitals, go too far. 48% say the searches do not go too far, though it is difficult to imagine how much further they could go, without being full cavity searches.

The dramatic difference in terms popular support for pat-downs, compared to support for the scanners can be attributed to the influx of horror stories from travelers all over the country, detailing TSA transgressions during pat-downs.

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Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor at Alex Jones’ Infowars.net, and regular contributor to Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham in England.

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