[ RadSafe ] airport body scanners

[George Andrews]

This thread has nothing whatsoever to do with health physics. It is the 
tirade of narrow mindedness and extremist thinking. Study history. Read the 
Federalist Papers and the collection of anti-federalist papers and the 
direction we are taking is obvious. Adding to that the fear/oppostion of 
neo-Luddites to technology, including use of radiation/radioactive materials 
creates/radio frequency energy creates a very bleak picture if you are a 
pessimist by nature.
If radsafe has now become a political forum rather than a professional 
health physics forum, I will happily join the fray!

George Andrews, RRPT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <garyi at trinityphysics.com>
To: <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>; "Clayton Bradt" <dutchbradt at hughes.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 1:11 AM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] airport body scanners


> Well, you have the strength of your convictions. :)
> Here's most of your post, just to refresh you:
>
>> I must agree with Franz that the security frenzy that began
>> after 9-11 and continues to this day is not only ridiculous and
>> counter- productive, but it threatens to bring to a sad end the
>> oldest constitutional democracy in the world. I no longer
>> recognize the country I grew up in. I used to feel sorry for
>> the people who lived behind the "Iron Curtain" who were
>> spied upon by their own governments, could be picked up by
>> the police and questioned any time of the day or night. People
>> who had to show identity papers whenever they travelled
>> even INSIDE their our country! That could never happen
>> here we thought. Now look at us. All those terrible things are
>> happening here in the US as I write this. We have given away
>> our freedoms in exchange for the illusion of security. God
>> damn us for letting it happen - without even putting up a fight.
>
> Your claim is that since 9-11, the US has morphed into a tyrannical police 
> state where terrible
> things are happening.
>
> OK, here are the million dollar questions:
> 1) How long have US police been able to pick you up any time, day or 
> night?  With a warrant
> or probably cause, since before there was a US.
>
> 2) Why is pre-flight mandatory identification a terrible horrible thing 
> for airlines, the favourite
> punching bag of terrorists?  What reasonable excuse can you offer for 
> refusing to identify
> yourself at the place most likely to be targeted for terrorist attacks? 
> For responsible citizens,
> there is no such excuse.  You are not required to identify yourself just 
> anywhere (unless
> driving, I think).
>
> 3) "We have given away our freedoms."  Do you mean that if it takes you 
> longer to get on a
> plane, and you must present an ID, that you have given away your freedom? 
> Lets use the
> "Iron Curtain" percent scale to estimate your lost freedom, since you are 
> comparing the US to
> the Iron Curtain countries.  100% is your freedom on 9-10 (or even 1960 if 
> you want) and 0%
> is your freedom as a comrade under Khrushchev.  Hmmm...I may be reading 
> this old analog
> dial badly, but I'm seeing you at 100%, maybe 99.5, even after that plane 
> trip to the
> Bahamas.
>
> So your assertion is nothing but paranoia.  It has no substance.  Outside 
> of DC, there are no
> terrible things happening in America.  You have merely contracted a 
> contagious whine.  I
> prescribe a reduction in your TV and blog consumption.  Your condition 
> should improve
> rapidly if you take my advice.
>
> Finally, I think you wanted to tack on something about "extra-judicial 
> killings".  You are a little
> obscure, but I think you are referring to military tribunals for captured 
> terrorists.  Well, when
> US military personnel are tried for criminal acts, aren't they given a 
> military trial?  If that is
> good enough for the men and women who lay down their lives to protect the 
> rest of us, then it
> better be good enough for the terrorists.  If you ask me, its too good for 
> them.
>
> -Gary Isenhower
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> On 10 Mar 2010 at 2:23, Clayton Bradt wrote:
>
>>Hi Clayton
>
>>Do you really stand behind all of this? No statements here that you might 
>>withdraw, on
>>second thought?
>
>>-Gary
>
> I stand behind it all
>
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