A Peek At the National Opt-Out Day Numbers

Yesterday was a big travel day for Americans, and the organizers of National Opt-Out Day hoped to use it to highlight widespread, though not universal, dissatisfaction with stepped-up screening measures in US airports, by encouraging people selected for body screening to insist instead on the pat-down alternative. Reader Willtor writes with a story in the New York Times on the effect of the protest: "'39 people had opted out of the body scans in Atlanta by 5 p.m. In Los Angeles, 113 had. One had opted out in Charlotte, N.C. Boston seemed to have something of a mini-spike, with 300.' This is a tiny fraction of passengers, of course. But when I flew out of Boston this afternoon, they had opened a line that led to a traditional metal detector. When I flew out in June all lines went to the nudie scanners. Is it safe to be optimistic that we have been heard and policies have changed? I am not particularly concerned whether we get credit or whether it is reported that the protest fizzled. But it would be nice to know that some of the more invasive theatrics have become optional." According to its organizers, meanwhile, the opt-out protest was a "rousing success." If you traveled yesterday by air, what was your impression?

Comments

Re:the opt-out protest was a "rousing success."

[Gerzel]

Oh BTW since when did Republicans get so weak on national security?

Seriously, no problem with warrentless wiretaps, starting 2 wars and all that the Bush administration did, but as soon as it's a Democrat then it's invasion of privacy.

Re:They went about this the WRONG way.

[Khyber]

Someone doesn't have a clue about asymmetrical warfare, I see.

The second the government went against such an organized protest with any sort of force, it would be civil war in that spot, which would spread RAPIDLY.

Do you ever bother to think or do you just post AC without a clue?