COMMENTARY | Just when you thought flying couldn't get any worse, it seems the Transportation Security Administration might be taken to new limits. USA Today reports the TSA told airlines that "human bomb" terrorists may actually surgically implant explosives in humans to blow up planes.
Nicholas Kimball, a TSA spokesman, said:
"As a precaution, passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. Measures may include interaction with passengers, in addition to the use of other screening methods such as pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies."
With the recent news of TSA forcing a 95 year-old dying grandmother to remove her diaper in a degrading ordeal at a northwest Florida airport, I'm not sure how much worse it can get. Frankly, I think after today's warning, it might be easier to get in your car and drive 3,000 miles cross-country than go through airport security measures.
Just weeks before the incident with the elderly woman, a 6-year-old child was put through an intense pat-down while she was heard saying, "I don't want to do this."
The incident at the New Orleans International Airport prompted Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah to introduce a bill that will prohibit pat-down searches of minors without the consent and presence of a parent.
Chaffetz called the episode a "shocking violation" of TSA protocol and commented that, "the agency must get serious about the manner in which it seeks to balance national security with personal privacy," according to CBS News.
Now, with today's news of the more innovative ways that terrorists could possibly attack, how much further will the screening procedures go?
White House Spokesman Jay Carney said, "Terrorist groups have repeatedly and publicly indicated interest in pursuing ways to further conceal explosives and we continue to evolve just as the threat does."
The White House said there is no specific threat of an imminent attack, but the warning is a preventative measure.
TSA spokesman Kimball said that the measures implemented are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same activity at every international airport, reports TG Daily.
I'm not sure how much more in-depth the screenings can be carried out with children and the elderly being subjected to the groping and invasive pat-downs, as well as the new full-body scans appearing recently in many airports.
I understand that we need to be protected from terrorists, but I'm not sure that I want to put our children and elderly in such demeaning situations in order to fly. As a frequent traveler, I'll have to see how things play out, but I'm more and more tempted to take the slow boat to China over the offensive scrutiny of the TSA.
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