Rep. Duncan Blasts TSA
Parents are upset about being forced to have their children radiated or being touched inappropriately by an unrelated adult.
"Pat Downs," Scanners on House Floor
From: Rep John Duncan - R-TN | November 17, 2010
Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., former Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee and the current top Republican on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, blasts TSA's invasive "pat downs" during a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on November 17, 2010. Duncan also questions the role of lucrative government contracts in TSA's new naked body scanning machines. The text of the speech is copied below:
"Mr. Speaker:
A nationwide revolt is developing over the body scanners at the airports, and it should.
Hundreds of thousands of frequent fliers who fly each week are upset about getting these frequent doses of radiation.
Parents are upset about being forced to have their children radiated or being touched inappropriately by an unrelated adult.
There is already plenty of security at the airport, but now we are going to spend up to $300 million to install 1,000 scanners.
This is much more about money than it is about security.
The former secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, represents Rapiscan, the company which is selling these scanners to his former department.
Far too many federal contracts are sweetheart, insider deals.
Companies hire former high ranking federal officials, and then magically, those companies get hugely profitable federal contracts.
The American people should not have to choose between having full-body radiation or a very embarrassing, intrusive pat-down every time they fly, as if they were criminals.
We need a little more balance and common sense on this."
