This Draconian albeit effective solution is making the rounds:

The Israelis are developing an airport security device that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners at airports.

It's an armored booth you step into that will not X-ray you but will detonate any explosive device you may have on your person. They see this as a win-win situation for everyone, with none of this crap about racial profiling. It also would eliminate the costs of a long and expensive trial. Justice would be swift. Case closed!

You're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly thereafter an announcement comes over the PA system: "Attention standby passengers, we now have a seat available on flight number 6709 to America . Shalom!"

@2 funny, but dumb

Please stop making this debate about the "science". Is this going to be another global warming "debate"? None of those scientists who wrote the letter are actually radiation biologists. Also, their arguments don't really make sense -- they compare the dose of the low energy backscatter to regular x-rays and say the low energy is a higher dose because it doesn't go *through* the skin and therefore all the dose is taken at the skin. That's just stupid b/c the high energy also hits all the skin, so the dose measurement would take that into account -- and the low energy dose would still be less (because it's low energy).

Also, those four all work at the same institution. So rather than this being a clarion call from a variety of scientists who would know, it's four guys that got all riled up in their hallways and decided to write a letter (and also telling is the number of leading scientists at the same institution who did NOT sign that letter. Don't tell me they wouldn't've had the opportunity).

It's really not that big of a deal to be felt up by a professional. If you have problems with that, THEN YOU HAVE PROBLEMS, NOT EVERYONE ELSE. I am all for sensitivity, but if you were raped so bad that a TSA agent cant haphazardly pat you down, then you were rapped really bad, and part of that rape is gonna have to be about coming to terms with random people touching you in an official capacity.

Don't want to sound callous, but when I read all these reports of abuse by the hands of the TSA I also read tons of stories about pissed off travelers that want to stir up shit and have no scruples.

Nobody should get the backskatter, the radiation combined with the TSA's ability to keep your image secure makes it a pretty obvious bad choice. When getting the pat down, if it isn't quick, clean and with an open hand, request you be re-patted by a professional.