Depending on which headline you choose, National Opt-Out Day either “flopped” or “fizzled.”
There were no serious delays at any of the major airports due to security line backups, and while a few lucky camera crews got Speedo or bikini shots of protesters, most news stations could have better spent their money sending their crews to cover the obligatory fire department demonstrations of the perils of the backyard turkey fryer.
Over at the TSA Blog, they’re trumpeting how “opt out day has turned into TSA appreciation day.” The post is headed by a photo of two adorable little girls standing beside a security line, holding an adorably- badly-lettered sign reading: “THANK YOU TSA FOR KEEPING MY FAMILY SAFE!” (After a week of reading the TSA Blog, I’ve become convinced the authors learned their trade at some kind of Maoist blogger retreat.) They noted about 500 opt-outs across the country, 300 of them in Boston “which is less than one percent of travelers and less than a normal day at the airport’s 17 AITs.”
OptOutDay.com is undaunted. “Despite claims to the contrary, National Opt-Out Day was a rousing success,” said the organizers in a statement on the website yesterday. The entire point of the campaign was to raise awareness of the issues of privacy and aviation safety at TSA checkpoints, with the ultimate goal of influencing policy – to ask the question “are we really doing this right?” In that, the campaign was a success. It was always about getting attention to the issue, educating the public and putting pressure on to change the current procedures. With near daily headlines on the front page of newspapers and debates on television and radio news, the mission was accomplished – our voice was heard.”
This is, of course, as disingenuous the TSA. Nothing would have pleased the movement’s coordinators than to bring American air travel to its knees on what is erroneously considered one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The remarkable group-think of our nation’s politico-media establishment seems to be seeing this as a ringing endorsement of the TSA in their lonely mission to protect us from the radical Islamic boogeyman. But we need to consider a couple of things before we consign “National Oup-Out Day” to the List of Flash In the Pan Internet Memes.
First, the body of anecdotal evidence that the TSA used “enhanced screening” as little as possible -- even shutting down some AIT machines -- and thus gave would-be protesters nothing to opt-out from. Read again the TSA Blog on the Boston’s Logan Airport: their 300 opt-outs were fewer than they see on “a normal day at the airport’s 17 AITs.” What could account for that? Were all 17 AITs in operation the whole day?
Second, nobody knows how many people didn’t fly because of the potential protest. How many people changed their plans? Canceled flights? Decided to drive or take a train? We’ll probably never know, since it’s hard to accurately measure what somebody didn’t do unless they take it upon themselves to report it. it will be interesting to see some stats on airline travel in coming days and see if any kind of pattern emerges.
The TSA, of course, will not confirm that they shut down machines or otherwise altered their normal routine as a way to mitigate the impact of a protest. That they did seems obvious. While one relies on anecdotal reports at their own peril, there seem to be too many reports coming from too many sources in too many different airport for it to be otherwise. The TSA had ample warning a protest was brewing. The easiest thing in the world is just to turn the damned things off.
If that could be proven, it would be the sweetest victory for those of us who believe this policy to be ineffective, unethical, and downright unconstitutional.
The Government’s whole argument is that these machines and body searches are 150% necessary to keep us safe in the skies -- that there is simply no other way to accomplish that goal, and anyone who protests is immature, prudish, naive, or just plain-old un-American. It’s spending untold billions on machines with the ultimate endgame of making them the primary screening method in airports, and perhaps in other public venues as well.
But if it turns out that faced with a potential PR disaster they suddenly decided it wasn’t quite so necessary to use all those machines on a day they themselves defined as one of the most significant travel days of the year, that strikes me as pretty good grounds to get revisit the policy...and look towards ending it.
Over 1.5 million people passed though the nation’s airports on Wednesday. Some 99% of them passed through plain old metal detectors and bag searches.
Every single one of them got to their destination safely.
There were no serious delays at any of the major airports due to security line backups, and while a few lucky camera crews got Speedo or bikini shots of protesters, most news stations could have better spent their money sending their crews to cover the obligatory fire department demonstrations of the perils of the backyard turkey fryer.
Over at the TSA Blog, they’re trumpeting how “opt out day has turned into TSA appreciation day.” The post is headed by a photo of two adorable little girls standing beside a security line, holding an adorably- badly-lettered sign reading: “THANK YOU TSA FOR KEEPING MY FAMILY SAFE!” (After a week of reading the TSA Blog, I’ve become convinced the authors learned their trade at some kind of Maoist blogger retreat.) They noted about 500 opt-outs across the country, 300 of them in Boston “which is less than one percent of travelers and less than a normal day at the airport’s 17 AITs.”
OptOutDay.com is undaunted. “Despite claims to the contrary, National Opt-Out Day was a rousing success,” said the organizers in a statement on the website yesterday. The entire point of the campaign was to raise awareness of the issues of privacy and aviation safety at TSA checkpoints, with the ultimate goal of influencing policy – to ask the question “are we really doing this right?” In that, the campaign was a success. It was always about getting attention to the issue, educating the public and putting pressure on to change the current procedures. With near daily headlines on the front page of newspapers and debates on television and radio news, the mission was accomplished – our voice was heard.”
This is, of course, as disingenuous the TSA. Nothing would have pleased the movement’s coordinators than to bring American air travel to its knees on what is erroneously considered one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The remarkable group-think of our nation’s politico-media establishment seems to be seeing this as a ringing endorsement of the TSA in their lonely mission to protect us from the radical Islamic boogeyman. But we need to consider a couple of things before we consign “National Oup-Out Day” to the List of Flash In the Pan Internet Memes.
First, the body of anecdotal evidence that the TSA used “enhanced screening” as little as possible -- even shutting down some AIT machines -- and thus gave would-be protesters nothing to opt-out from. Read again the TSA Blog on the Boston’s Logan Airport: their 300 opt-outs were fewer than they see on “a normal day at the airport’s 17 AITs.” What could account for that? Were all 17 AITs in operation the whole day?
Second, nobody knows how many people didn’t fly because of the potential protest. How many people changed their plans? Canceled flights? Decided to drive or take a train? We’ll probably never know, since it’s hard to accurately measure what somebody didn’t do unless they take it upon themselves to report it. it will be interesting to see some stats on airline travel in coming days and see if any kind of pattern emerges.
The TSA, of course, will not confirm that they shut down machines or otherwise altered their normal routine as a way to mitigate the impact of a protest. That they did seems obvious. While one relies on anecdotal reports at their own peril, there seem to be too many reports coming from too many sources in too many different airport for it to be otherwise. The TSA had ample warning a protest was brewing. The easiest thing in the world is just to turn the damned things off.
If that could be proven, it would be the sweetest victory for those of us who believe this policy to be ineffective, unethical, and downright unconstitutional.
The Government’s whole argument is that these machines and body searches are 150% necessary to keep us safe in the skies -- that there is simply no other way to accomplish that goal, and anyone who protests is immature, prudish, naive, or just plain-old un-American. It’s spending untold billions on machines with the ultimate endgame of making them the primary screening method in airports, and perhaps in other public venues as well.
But if it turns out that faced with a potential PR disaster they suddenly decided it wasn’t quite so necessary to use all those machines on a day they themselves defined as one of the most significant travel days of the year, that strikes me as pretty good grounds to get revisit the policy...and look towards ending it.
Over 1.5 million people passed though the nation’s airports on Wednesday. Some 99% of them passed through plain old metal detectors and bag searches.
Every single one of them got to their destination safely.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Janis Jaquith
Emily Holleman
Dave Cullen
Akopsa
iamsurly
Salon.com
Comments
HAHAHAHA just kidding.
of course the receipts went into the industrial strength Cheney-type shredders weeks ago.
r