NH woman challenges airport full-body scanners

[Theduck Profile]

(NECN: Tom Langford) - Just as the busy holiday travel season is starting up, a New Hampshire woman has a warning to anyone who's flying.

She says her experience with those new full body scanners at the airport security line was frightening and humiliating.

Meg McLain is back home in Keene, New Hampshire after a travel experience she'd rather forget. She was flying home from Florida, in line at security at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, when she was picked to go through one of the new full body scanners, a machine that takes picture like this -- showing you virtually naked.

She said, "I felt like it was a violation of my body, my privacy."

She asked to opt out of the scan -- as you're allowed to do... but the alternative... an intense pat down didn't seem much better.

McLain said, "A lot of people have written about these procedures now and they say they use full open palms and their fingers and many people have described it as completely invasive. They have to feel around all your genitals, your breasts, everything."

When she started asking questions, she says, the TSA security staff harassed her and ripped her ticket up. This surveillance video shows her crying in the bottom right corner of the screen.

She said, "it was a bit frightening to know that i either had to have nude photos taken of me or to be touched in a way i didn't want to be touched in order to get home."

But the TSA defends the scanners and the pat downs.. saying they're necessary to keep airplanes safe from terrorists. And when the scanners were unveiled at Logan Airport, the TSA chief, George Nacarra said, privacy concerns have been addressed, by having the screener view the images in a separate windowless booth.

"That person can never associate a face with an image. There's no capability of photographing or saving the image. I think we've taken every step necessary."

Still, pilots' unions are now warning their members to avoid the body scanners because of another concern - radiation.

And now, a national day of protest against the scanners is planned for November 24th -- the day before Thanksgiving.

Organizers hope -- on that day -- all travelers will opt out of the scanners. Its an idea McLain supports.

She said, "I think if everybody were to opt out of those things, they would see that nobody wants them and its just a big waste of money and time and a big intrusion on people's privacy."

To learn more about National Opt Out Day, you can visit We Won't Fly's Website

Video here > http://www.necn.com/11/14/10/NH-woman-c ... 206&ref=nf

[Mediasorcerer Profile]

they got to try to kill us off somehow,and degrade our esteem too,as if they give a fuk about our lives,what a joke,

[Otomon Profile]

Dumb bitch! You are just delaying the system for the rest of us... if you do not like scanners... go protest AFTER or some shit,dont stand in the middle of the airport criying like a little bitch and slowing everything down!! FUCK!

[Theduck Profile]

Dumb bitch! You are just delaying the system for the rest of us... if you do not like scanners... go protest AFTER or some shit,dont stand in the middle of the airport criying like a little bitch and slowing everything down!! FUCK!

lol