Senate TSA Oversight Committee Weds

[linzbear]

Saw this on flyertalk, and thought many here would be interested:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15135060-post1.html
Please let me know if I should be just posting the info, or if the above link is ok.

Senate TSA Oversight Hearing on Wednesday

Please check the list to see if your senator is on the list and give them a call on Mon with a short blurb (something easily remembered/typed) if there is something you would like to see brought up in this Hearing.

I'll be calling and saying something like "Hi, I'm calling concerning the TSA Oversight Hearing on Wednesday Nov 17th. I would like to express my discontent with the current way that TSA has been conducting searches in that children and sexual assault victims are required to be subjected to either an imaging process where an officer can see their genitals on screen, or a front of the hands pat down on their genitals for what I believe to be an invasive and inadequate security screening. I also feel that this is a breach of our 4th Amendment rights. Thanks."

(My problems with TSA security run deeper than this, but it is important to be quick and memorable, as that's about how much time they have with the Senator)

List of senators:
The committee chair is Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) phone (202) 224-6472. The ranking member is Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison 202-224-5922.

The subcommittee chair is Sen Byron L. Dorgon (D-ND) phone (202) 224-2551. The ranking member is Sen Jim DeMint (R-SC) phone (202) 224-6121.

D-AK Mark Begich (202) 224-3004
D-AR Mark Pryor (202) 224-2353
D-CA Barbara Boxer (202) 224-3553
D-FL Bill Nelson 202-224-5274
D-HI Daniel K. Inouye (202) 224.3934
D-MA John F. Kerry [(202) 224-2742
D-MN Amy Klobuchar 202-224-3244
D-MO Claire McCaskill 202-224-6154
D-NJ Frank R. Lautenberg (973) 639-8700, (888) 398-1642
D-NM Tom Udall (202) 224-6621
D-VA Mark Warner 202-224-2023
D-WA Maria Cantwell 202-224-3441
D-WV Jay Rockefeller (202) 224-6472

R-FL George S. LeMieux (202) 224-3041
R-GA Johnny Isakson (202) 224-3643
R-KS Sam Brownback (202) 224-6521
R-LA David Vitter (202) 224-4623
R-ME Olympia J. Snowe (202) 224-5344, (800) 432-1599
R-MS Roger F. Wicker 202-224-6253
R-NE Mike Johanns (202) 224-4224
R-NV John Ensign (202) 224-6244
R-SD John Thune (202) 224-2321, 1-866-850-3855
R-TX Kay Bailey Hutchison 202-224-5922

 

[goofy4tink]

Making these calls will certainly be much more useful than the posting we have seen on this board lately.
Make those calls people...make yourselves heard. I'll be called Mr Kerry tomorrow.

 

[Lewisc]

Some posters want children to be exempt from screening. They don't want scanners being used nor do they want pat downs.

Sounds like giving terrorists a heads up on where to hide "bad stuff"

 

[rie'smom]

Thanks for posting this. I hope that you don't mind but I linked to your post and also posted it on the Community Board thread TSA Mess and the police in post 514:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2594058&page=35

 

[linzbear]

Making these calls will certainly be much more useful than the posting we have seen on this board lately.
Make those calls people...make yourselves heard. I'll be called Mr Kerry tomorrow.

 

[linzbear]

Some posters want children to be exempt from screening. They don't want scanners being used nor do they want pat downs.

Sounds like giving terrorists a heads up on where to hide "bad stuff"

This post was meant to be informational and not a debate thread. There are already many other threads to post your debate in.

You are more than welcome to not call, or to call and say something different.

BTW, the terrorists already know where to hide bad stuff. Cargo and body cavities.

 

[goofy4tink]

Some posters want children to be exempt from screening. They don't want scanners being used nor do they want pat downs.

Sounds like giving terrorists a heads up on where to hide "bad stuff"

While I understand that people don't want their children being radiated or grabbed at, kids can't be exempt from screenings. There has to be a better way to accomplish this. No one wants to be exposed to excessive amounts of radiation or way too personal patdowns. I tend to think that the reports of the severity of the radiation has been overblown.
It would be nice if some entity, that has no vested interest in these screenings, could do a study. I truly think that there is too much presence in Washington by those with vested interests to allow them to decide what is safe for the flying public.

Hopefully something good will come out of this committee.

 

[CPT Tripss]

This post was meant to be informational and not a debate thread. There are already many other threads to post your debate in.

You are more than welcome to not call, or to call and say something different.

BTW, the terrorists already know where to hide bad stuff. Cargo and body cavities.

Thanks for the head's up! Sen Lautenberg will be getting a call!

While I understand that people don't want their children being radiated or grabbed at, kids can't be exempt from screenings. There has to be a better way to accomplish this. No one wants to be exposed to excessive amounts of radiation or way too personal patdowns. I tend to think that the reports of the severity of the radiation has been overblown.
It would be nice if some entity, that has no vested interest in these screenings, could do a study. I truly think that there is too much presence in Washington by those with vested interests to allow them to decide what is safe for the flying public.

Hopefully something good will come out of this committee.

Hopefully this thread won't suffer a hijack . . .

ETA - oops sorry didn't realize you were a mod . . .

 

[Lewisc]

TSA has been conducting searches in that children and sexual assault victims are required to be subjected to either an imaging process where an officer can see their genitals on screen, or a front of the hands pat down on their genitals for what I believe to be an invasive and inadequate security screening. I also feel that this is a breach of our 4th Amendment rights.

8946672]T[/B]his post was meant to be informational and not a debate thread. There are already many other threads to post your debate in.

You are more than welcome to not call, or to call and say something different.
.

Your OP wasn't just informative. You stated an opinion. I stated an opinion that differs from yours. I'm not sure if you can start a thread and not allow posts from people who have a different opinion.

It's not a thread hijack if a poster comments on the OP.

While I understand that people don't want their children being radiated or grabbed at, kids can't be exempt from screenings. There has to be a better way to accomplish this. No one wants to be exposed to excessive amounts of radiation or way too personal patdowns. I tend to think that the reports of the severity of the radiation has been overblown.
It would be nice if some entity, that has no vested interest in these screenings, could do a study. I truly think that there is too much presence in Washington by those with vested interests to allow them to decide what is safe for the flying public.

Hopefully something good will come out of this committee.

All available evidence suggests the radiation from the new machines is insignificant. I don't know if the people who object are tin hat people or are people who are cautious. At one time people thought cigarette smoke was OK.

Exempting an entire group from screening isn't a good idea.

 

[Brian Noble]

This post was meant to be informational and not a debate thread.

For better or worse, DIS is a "discussion" board, and that allows for all manner of discussion---provided it is within the rules of the board. The only usual exceptions are banned topics (e.g. politics), and "flash discussions" that get confined to a single thread (e.g. luggage-only ME).

I tend to think that the reports of the severity of the radiation has been overblown.

I suspect that might be true as well, but I have not seen any hard data. Here's one article that suggests the exposure level is pretty modest, but not completely risk-free:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Cancer...rs-full-body-scans-unfounded/story?id=9476542

Here's a Reuters article that lists the delivered dose at 0.1 "microseverts" of radiation. To put that number in context, the same article lists a chest X-ray as 100 microSv. If you do the math on this FAQ on dental x-rays, 0.1 microSv is the equivalent of the background radiation we get in about 20 minutes.

 

[Brian Noble]

Here's another one, that suggests the delivered dose is approximately 10x that claimed:

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-12/...adiological-research-radiation/2?_s=PM:TRAVEL

That same article also reports that the American College of Radiology (the principal professional organization for radiologists) believes the risk to be less-than-negligible.

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay....here's the thing everyone. We have plenty of threads that are already debating the radiation and 'groping' issues. This is not the place to start it all over again.

 

[linzbear]

Your OP wasn't just informative. You stated an opinion. I stated an opinion that differs from yours. I'm not sure if you can start a thread and not allow posts from people who have a different opinion.

Except that I never said that I want children to be exempt from screening, so it was not a contrary opinion. I am totally cool with WTMDs, Puffer Machines, explosives swabs used on children.

 

[disneyfan55]

It's not just the radiation with the screening, it's privacy. I guess we all have to call our Senators and Representatives. There are 2 different types of machine that I just found out yesterday as well.

 

[eliza61]

I saw the word "weds" and I thought it meant as in "Marry". My first question is the TSA agency is getting married?

I'm hept up on Nyquil, sorry.

 

[DebbieB]

I saw the word "weds" and I thought it meant as in "Marry". My first question is the TSA agency is getting married?

I'm hept up on Nyquil, sorry.

I thought that too when I first saw it!

 

[linzbear]

Just called Sen Kerry's office. Very quick and painless. Rescheduling my dentist's appointment this morning was more trouble!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Calling in my support of the current screening policies, including imaging and pat downs!

 

[bytheblood]

Are your senators being receptive? I have tried phoning here locally and cannot get through. I receive a message stating that there is a large volume of calls and to call back later.

 

[linzbear]

Are your senators being receptive? I have tried phoning here locally and cannot get through. I receive a message stating that there is a large volume of calls and to call back later.

The way that it works is a staffer will pick up the phone, you get a chance to say what you want, and they'll say "Thanks, I'll pass that on to Senator XYZ"

At the end of the day they basically have a list of all of the phone calls that come in, so this is where numbers make a difference - 1 person complaining about something will probably get waved away. 10, 20, whatever people complaining about something will get recognized as an issue to be looked into.

That's why it's important to be brief, memorable, and to the point.