Monday, March 14, 2011

TSA Machines Show Radiation Levels 10X Higher Than Claimed

The Transportation Safety Administration (the dreaded TSA that has made groping, see-through cameras, and gross insensitivity to personal privacy and dignity a staple of your airport experience) does not want the public to know this.

In recent tests at least 247 of their scanning machines showed radiation levels 10 times higher than expected.

Hmm. The TSA demands to see everything you've got. But there's no trade off here. For the TSA definitely wants to keep you from seeing what they've got, especially their arrogance, their inefficiency and their endangerment of air travelers via extensive radiation.

The exposure (pun intended) of the TSA machines' radiation levels came only after USA Today joined with Republican lawmakers in demanding results of TSA reviews that started last December. Another example of Team Obama's lack of transparency.

But when the first reports of those reviews were handed over, a TSA spokesman admitted that about a third of them showed "some sort of error." No problem, the TSA insists; it's just a little matter of retraining folks.

Funny how this matter of retraining the menials is becoming a standard defense of liberal inefficiency and even corruption. For instance, Planned Parenthood is using the same dodge regarding all those video tapes showing the mega-abortion business covering up statutory rape and other crimes.

Thankfully, at least some legislators aren't buying into TSA's casual dismissal of these tardy and error-filled reports. Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz from Utah are among them. Says Collins, the TSA "has repeatedly assured me that the machines that emit radiation do not pose a health risk. Nonetheless, if TSA contractors reporting on the radiation levels have done such a poor job, how can airline passengers and crew have confidence in the data used by the TSA to reassure the public?"

She said the records released Friday "included gross errors about radiation emissions. That is completely unacceptable when it comes to monitoring radiation."

Chaffetz is also bothered. "At best, Chaffetz said, the radiation reports generated by TSA contractors reveal haphazard oversight and record-keeping in the critical inspection system the agency relies upon to ensure millions of travelers aren't subjected to excessive doses of radiation."

"It is totally unacceptable to be bumbling such critical tasks," Chaffetz said. "These people are supposed to be protecting us against terrorists."

Here's more in this USA Today story.