Controversial TSA Nudie X-Ray Machines Sent To Prisons 108
An anonymous reader writes "The controversial TSA backscatter X-ray machines are being sent to prisons. According to Federal times, 'The controversial airport screening machines that angered privacy advocates and members of Congress for its revealing images are finding new homes in state and local prisons across the country, according to the Transportation Security Administration.' 154 backscatter X-rays have already ended up in Iowa, Louisiana, and Virginia prisons. TSA is working to find homes for the remaining machines. Per the article: '"TSA and the vendor are working with other government agencies interested in receiving the units for their security mission needs and for use in a different environment," TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein said.'"
Admission of Guilt (Score:5, Insightful)
They were treating us like prisoners.
When you go to prison (Score:5, Insightful)
You should only lose one right: Freedom.
Not
- security of your personal well being
- privacy
- respect to the human
- torture (psychological or physical)
- physical punishment.
The punishment is withdrawing freedom, not becoming a sub-human. Once you leave prison, you should be considered a typical citizen again -- you served your sentence, so it must not carry on forever.
That said, punishment is known to not be efficient, and not a deterrent for others (as most crimes are not driven by thinking long about the consequences). So modern prisons focus on re-constituting the citizen to full capacity. Because it works better than punishing.
Re:Health Concerns (Score:5, Insightful)
That's because everything is forgiven if you shout TERRORISM loud enough.
Also, most politicians won't even consider going against the TSA on this because they are too afraid of being called "soft on terrorism" during their next election campaign. Fear isn't just for keeping the populace in line - it keeps the politicians in line also.
Re:When you go to prison (Score:4, Insightful)
It is utterly hilarious that you would mock systems of retributive justice in (apparent) favor of ones of clinical rehabilitation-- considering just how Orwellian it is to turn the justice system into a clinical one.
Has no one read 1984? Is no one concerned with just how ominous things like a justice system focused on "reconstituting" (or, perhaps, "reeducating?) would be?
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Admission of Guilt (Score:5, Insightful)
Not true at all. If a prisoner sues the prison believing the machines to be unsafe, the prisoner is more likely to get a fair hearing and the prison unlikely to to get away with glossing over health and safety issues related to the machines....whereas the TSA had the carte blanche in the name of Fatherland Security!
Re:Admission of Guilt (Score:4, Insightful)
Right. Because being a prisoner guarantees one's rights, access to legal counsel, timely medical care, and protection from being violently abused...
Re:Moved from the 'open' prison to closed prisons. (Score:4, Insightful)
You mean I can't live with Scarlett Johansson? Darn the luck!
There are no violent ex-cons or gang members in my neighborhood or at my place of work...
No one born with a hungry mouth is truly innocent.
Let me repeat that, so it sinks in...
No one born with a hungry mouth is truly innocent.
There are only so many resources on this planet. We are all in competition for those resources. Communities, cities, nations, alliances, are all there for the purpose of attempting to ensure the best access to resources. Different cultures throughout history have been better at it than others, and I'm certain that the current balance will eventually change. Within those spheres of cooperation exists a degree of competition though, as cooperation doesn't automatically mean succor. If parents want their children to succeed then they need to set their children up on a path to help make them succeed. That generally requires having a certain degree of stability of their own to start with, and then generally requires the parents to make some sacrifices of their own to commit the time and resources to the children that they might otherwise want to spend on themselves.
My very strong opinion is that if you can't afford to have children, then don't have children. 'Afford' includes the willingness to commit that time, effort, and money required to do right by them. There are so many ways of avoiding having children while still enjoying a full life that it's stupid to have kids when one isn't prepared to go all-in.
Land isn't your birthright. Your birthright, whether born in Beverly Hills or in Khartoum, is to struggle to get or to keep what you need to live. That's it. The universe owes you nothing.