When I fly, I always opt out of the body scans, but according to Reason, fliers may not be allowed to do this any more:
"Quietly, on December 18, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a change of the rules for the use of body scanning technology at airport security systems across the country. Now, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can opt out of letting you opt out of using the body scanners. That is to say, they can decide—for reasons!—that you must go through the body scanners."
Naturally the TSA isn't saying why people suddenly can't opt out anymore. Is it so they can profile people, or "punish" you by taking away your freedom to opt out if they don't like your attitude? Maybe. But I suspect the main motivations behind this change is the same one that has kept toilets in underground BART stations closed since 2001 -- laziness and not caring. Maintaining public toilets is unpleasant work, and costs money, and if BART riders have to go and have no place to do so, well, that's not BART's problem.
Black-humored jokes aside, I assume that the number of TSA employees who secretly get their kicks groping people is fairly small. Most of them probably don't like doing the pat-downs much, and would rather just send you through the X-ray machines while they sit and stand around looking important in their uniforms. If you have concerns about going through the body-scan machines, well, we really just don't give a shit. Our job is to keep you safe (i.e. controlled and sheeplike) -- your civil liberties don't matter.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))