Airport pat-downs strike a nerve – USATODAY.com

he Washington Times, in an editorial: “The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has crossed the line (by) subjecting millions of Americans to X-rated X-ray scans and public groping sessions. … No matter how invasive TSA searches become, there’s no guarantee anything the agency does will prevent a terrorist attack. A balance must be struck between reasonable security measures and the maintenance of a free society. These decisions cannot be made by Obama administration officials without involving the public in the discussions. Many Tea Party candidates standing for election earlier this month promised they were going to ‘take our country back.’ Stopping TSA would be a good first step.”

Los Angeles Times, in an editorial: “We’re not wild about the new methods, but they’re a necessary evil in the era of suicide bombers who board planes with chemical explosives in their underwear. … There’s no bright line to indicate where our quest for security becomes intolerably invasive of our privacy, but we’re still pretty sure the TSA hasn’t yet crossed it. Although the pat-downs are … embarrassing, they’re also usually voluntary — to avoid them, you just have to go through the scanner. And fears about the scanners have been overblown. … The new scans might not be foolproof, but they’ll spot more dangerous materials than the old detectors and keep passengers safer. If you can’t handle such a minor inconvenience, perhaps you should stay on the ground.”

K.T. McFarland, analyst, on Fox News: “Why don’t we start profiling for terrorists and stop trying to put everyone from toddlers to granny through the same security procedures at airports? We’re wasting money, time and the people’s patience in an effort to be politically correct. In the end, it’s not keeping us any safer; if anything, it’s making us less safe since it’s diverting resources that could otherwise be used on better intelligence gathering, or developing screening devices for cargo on commercial and civilian aircraft, or checking containers before they enter U.S. ports. Ultimately, though, the debate over whether to use the new scanners or not isn’t a choice between privacy and security — because we’re not getting security where we need it — we’re reacting to the last type of terrorist threat, not the current one or the next one.”

The (Louisville) Courier-Journal, in an editorial: “Clearly, in light of all the misgivings, the message about the body scanners was not disseminated effectively enough to make a dent or even an impression on many people who fly. The Department of Homeland Security and TSA should make it their immediate mission to do so. … Certainly there are legitimate health questions for those — such as pilots and flight attendants — who might face the scanners every day, and those questions should be answered. But those who fly occasionally should acknowledge the new layer of security is a sign of the times, even if they don’t welcome their roles in the ‘Invasion of the Body Scanners.’ “

The Christian Science Monitor, in an editorial: “Privacy issues, of course, should always be of concern. Congress is right to ask TSA to keep looking for ways to reduce invasive screening. … Intrusive screening is indeed a challenge to social norms — but then terrorism is an even bigger and abnormal challenge to society. Airline security is thus a shared responsibility, one that requires all citizens and the government to work together as threats change, as new screening technology emerges, and as more fliers see that their own sacrifice at checkpoints can help all fliers feel safe — and be safe.”

Airport pat-downs strike a nerve – USATODAY.com.