New York City – Privacy or protection.
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The botched airline bombing on Christmas Day is sparking a great debate about full body scanners.
They’re used in 19 airports across the country, but not in New York.
John F. Kennedy Airport was one of the first airports to land this cutting-edge scanning technology — as early as April 2008. The Transportation Security Administration successfully tested its new 3D device in terminal 4.
And, so similar drills went in 19 other cities.
But while small towns like Tulsa and Albuquerque and Indianapolis all managed to keep their $150,000 machines, just four months after its arrival JFK’s expensive scanner suddenly departed.
“That’s kind of surprising,” one traveler said.
“Pretty strange,” added Courtney Fletcher of Hackensack.
“I’m confused and befuddled,” Marjorie Davis admitted.
TSA sources told CBS 2 HD on Wednesday the decision was solely theirs and based on the risk, availability and suitability of the machines — adding that there’s already a “lot of technology out there.”
“You would think that with us being a target would probably be a priority,” passenger Mike Hale said.
“I’m not necessarily surprised,” said Rep. Peter King, R-Long Island.
King said he wasn’t surprised because Rep. King was one of only eight New York congressional members who voted last June to stop a scanner ban. In fact, a WCBSTV.com poll reveals that 74 percent of people would have no problem sacrificing some of their privacy to the full-body scanner.
Twenty New York members voted to essentially outlaw them as primary security devices, many cited privacy issues. None, including Congressmen Jerrold Nadler, John Hall or Joseph Crowley could be reached for comment.
“Talk about a 5, 6, 10-second issue of privacy as compared to 300 or 400 people being burned to death. There’s no comparison,” Rep. King said.
Even though that measure never moved forward the political result has been the same: not a single New York airport has a body scanner.
And passengers are worried they might pay the price.
“I think politicians, they should stop playing popularity contest and do what is important for the security of the people,” Davis said.
the names of the politicians who voted against these scanners s/b publicized – we’ll remember them in November
I applaud them for having the guts to step forward and fight for our civil/human rights. The terrorists will just come up with something else. To think the scanners is our saving grace is very naive. We need better security measures.
King is the ultimate hypocrite…he was on all the weekend talk shows criticizing obama but he voted to deny the TSA one of the tools it should be using. What a phony!!
These new full-body scanners are extremely hazardous to your health. I read that they emit radiation so strong that it’s capable of unwinding your DNA strands.
Beware!
Im voting against anyone who banned the scanner.
King for Senate 2010!!!
I would rather they just started profiling! Be smart!!! Stop patting down my 91 year old Bubby when she flies!
Just wait the jewish grandmothers will go under the scanner while the muslims will
pass by remember they cannot profile
I was in kennedy airport a while ago and they took me out from a crowd only me and my daughter and they told me to go under a bodyscan. I asked them is it compulsary
They said no. Of couse I refused. Imagine there were full of blacks and muslims
and me and my daughter they chose for a bodyscan
If they will go this direction a bodyscan is worthless-unless everyone gets it which is impossible. If they take take whoever they want the jewish mother and granmother
will get the first treatment.