Let's talk TSA: Trampling Societies Amendments

I am not anywhere near the first person to talk about this, and I should hope that I will not be the last.

For those who are woefully behind on the news, I am talking about the new procedures in place to "protect" us in the friendly skies. When I say friendly, I mean friendly.

Airports all over the United States have new scanners put into place to detect weapons that the metal detectors miss. We wouldn't want anyone on a plane with a non-metalic weapon. A good idea in theory. Maybe. There are two main problems with these scanners, dubbed by many as naked machines or porno-scanners. Yes, these scanners essentially strip search passengers as they make their way through. Remember when every boy's dream was to be able to see through clothing? We have made it a reality! These machines are capable of capturing every intimate detail of your anatomy. As if that were not enough to make the general public seriously uncomfortable, the way these scanners work is through ionizing radiation.

Now, the TSA insists that the radiation levels are so low, that these scanners are completely safe. I don't know about you but when my cell phone comes with a warning about using a headset when possible to keep radiation away from my head, I have to wonder how a whole body scanner is different. Now, since I am not an expert, I have been doing some reading. My favorite source comes from the blog of a biophysicist who was awesome enough to post the details of how they worked here. It has been pointed out to me that some scientists can be perceived as "wackos" but the information both in the blog posting and the linked letter of concern to the TSA seems on track to me. I will be watching for more thorough studies. In the meantime, you could not pay me enough to get near one. Without even acknowledging the complete invasion of privacy, as a woman with a history of cancer on both sides of her family, I would much rather be safe than sorry. I apologize for the tired cliché but it sums it up beautifully.

The good news is, you can opt out of the scanners. Great! Problem solved! Well. No. Starting November 1 of this year, the TSA began doing what it calls "enhanced pat downs"  Now if standard pat downs were not uncomfortable enough, they now reserve the "right" to touch your most private areas. That's right folks. We have given the TSA permission to molest us.

Now in the name of fighting terrorism, a surprising number of people are willing to accept this treatment. Many people feel that if you have nothing to hide, you should not worry about it. Hmmm. Why does this bother me?

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

That, my friends, is the fourth amendment. I am kind of fond of our constitution and our bill of rights. The fourth means that we cannot just be randomly searched without probable cause, or a warrant. So why are we accepting such treatment? What probable cause does the TSA have for these unreasonable searches? Well, you bought the plane ticket didn't you? Apparently, that makes you guilty of terrorism until proven innocent. Not good, people. Not good.

So what happens if you are selected for a pat down and you refuse? Well, you can't. If you enter the screening, you are forced to complete it, or they can put you in jail and charge you $11,000. I don't know about you, but I don't have an extra few thousand to just throw around, I don't want to be exposed to radiation, and I certainly don't want a pat down, that to me, would be akin to molestation. Not happening.

I have written letters, and I have opted not to fly at all. I will let my voice be heard and my dollars will not support such actions. Fortunately, I have the option to do this. As a stay at home mom, with family on one side of the country, it is fairly easy for me to avoid flying. For people who fly for work, this could be problematic.

My husband was supposed to fly to Florida in December for a work function/class/expo/training. It's a big deal and he was really looking forward to going. When the new procedures came through, my husband thought long and hard about how important this is to him. Personal liberties won out. He told the regional manager that he will not fly. Period. He is not afraid of flying. He doesn't so much care about having his danglies felt up. It all comes down to the principle, and one thing about my husband is that he sticks with what he believes is right 100%. I admire that in him. The regional manager? Not so much. He has repeatedly tried to pressure my husband into changing his mind. My husband is willing to take a train, take a bus, or even drive. He wants to attend this function. Just not by air travel so long as these procedures remain in place. It's still up in the air how this is going to go, as the RM has promised to talk about this again later. How sad is it that this should even be a fight?

I urge everyone I can - if you have a choice, opt out. We need to take a stand on this. I didn't agree with the patriot act of the previous administration, and I don't agree with the disgusting trampling of the fourth amendment with this one either. Write your representatives, your congressmen, and the president. Let them know that this is unacceptable. We have to make sure that we are heard.

Will you need a blue sky holiday?

I do. Sigh.

Today was supposed to be the day of younger kid's first swim meet of the season. Supposed to be. We had her best friend over to spend the night so she could go with us. We woke up, grudgingly at 4:45 this morning so that we could be on the road by 5:45. We made it not quite halfway when the little transmission issue we were slightly worried about started turning into a much bigger issue. We discussed it and made the decision to turn around. The swim meet was in Royal Oak which means driving through Detroit. I am not dying to break down in Detroit, especially with three kids with us.

We made it home. Obviously. Thing two was disappointed but has been spending time with her friend. I am disappointed too. Her coach said she has the potential to make it to state this year, and she has matured so much since last season that I really can't wait to see her.

As for the car, I guess we picked wrong. Should have taken the truck. The car is quieter, gets better gas mileage and is more comfortable for longer trips which is why we went with it. Oh well. Back down to one vehicle until we can get it fixed. Joy. We have only had this car for a little over 4 months. It is the replacement for the Malibu I loved that I had the misfortune of blowing the engine of. Hydrolock or some other mechanic head vocabulary nonsense. I guess you take the risk when you buy used.

To make things more fun, mother nature was shaking her dandruff on us last night. I refuse to use the S word, even if it is November. Still too warm to stick but I guess it is time to get out the winter coats.

This weekend had better be awesome from this point forward. We could use it.

You are beautiful, in every single way

Words can't bring you down....

My thanks to Christina Aguilera for allowing me to keep up with my lyrics as titles ;)


So I was discussing body image with some very smart ladies and it got me thinking about my kids.


My oldest daughter has been diagnosed with FTT as a 12 year old. This is an uncommon thing for children over 3 and I suspect it was the doctor being unsure why she is falling off her own growth chart. In reality, I have deep suspicions that she is borderline anorexic. It's not a body issue thing. It's an Asperger thing. She has cut her food choices down so much that she simply is not getting enough calories. I have come into the uncomfortable position of making her eat, even if she doesn't like it or claims she isn't hungry. That goes against everything I have ever learned about teaching self regulation. Our society's war against obesity has left me scrambling because when you are dealing with the exact opposite problem, you have to go against everything ever taught. 


To complicate matters even further, the same child is sensitive to dairy, which IS something she will eat but we have to limit it or cause a different set of problems. Furthermore, since she now has braces, that knocks out another chunk out of the things she prefers to munch on. Nuts, for example, are a favorite snack and a great source of non-saturated fat, but technically she isn't supposed to eat them as they could cause bracket breaking problems. It's immensely frustrating.


Then add in body image. I have heard the horror stories about women who spent their whole life hearing about how fat they were, even before weight was a problem. Can hearing "You're too skinny!!" over and over again cause the same kind of lingering issues?


Now add in the other kid. Kid 2 is perfectly healthy without an ounce of fat on her. She is also pure muscle and bone mass and outweighs her sister by a good 10 lbs. She is probably always going to be heavier, and by the looks of how things are developing, curvier than her older sister. I have heard her make the comparisons. Right now, it isn't a huge deal but her self esteem is so fragile. It doesn't help when her "friend" last year called her fat. That was actually really bizarre considering this so called friend is actually overweight. Kid 2 is not only nowhere near overweight, but is absolutely ideal. Assuming things continue on the same path, she is going to have the type of body that every woman envies. 


I try to keep my personal body image to myself. My husband and I try to make a big deal out of healthy diet  and exercise (although admittedly, we could both up our exercise) and my last physical brought to light that I have to be extraordinarily careful because apparently, family cholesterol problems did not skip my generation. It isn't high yet but it's up there. I am fairly thin and my diet isn't horrible, but I get to start being a little more cautious either way.


So the question is, how does one balance out the dietary needs of very different body types, and teach the kids involved to love those bodies, regardless of how different they are? It's an interesting conundrum. 




P.S.
To my secret readers, you can relax. As much as I hate the state of Michigan at the moment, my blog is merely an outlet. I plan on staying until all legal issues are settled. Quit getting your panties in a bunch over stupid blog postings. My blog is an outward expression and doesn't mean we are going to run off to Alaska next week. Good grief.