Yesterday, a few lucky travelers going through JFK security were chosen to leave their shoes on and enter the giant "backscatter" X-Ray machines for a full body scan (and possibly cancer). Signs reportedly warned that anyone refusing the X-Ray option would be subject to a "thorough" pat-down, leaving many travelers uncomfortable. One woman asked the Post, “At 72 years of age, this is what it has come to? Taking off my shoes, having someone go in by bag — I guess you have to do it. But this I have an issue with." Well, how else are they supposed to find your dangerous titanium hip?
But unlike the suspicious woman above, travelers who had nothing to hide seemed in favor of the new scanners. “The plane’s secure, you're secure, whatever it takes to keep the plane secure,” one traveler told NY1. Another, possibly kinkier passenger said, "I'd like to see what it's like. It seems intrusive."
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano assured that the X-Ray images are deleted within 20 seconds, and said they're actually less intrusive because the employees reviewing the images don't see the person's face. With a pat-down, employees have a chance to associate a face to the body. She said of the scanners, "That's not an invasion, invasion or die, pretty easy decision to me." Now that's a slogan if we've ever heard one.
