Naked Scanners on the highway, too

[Carol]

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenbe...an-technology-deployed-in-street-roving-vans/

American Science and Engineering, which is another manufacturer of the backscatter X-ray machines, has sold 500 backscatter machines that run in a van, on the highway, and can be used to scan neighboring vehicles as they drive by.

These machines do not only scan the shape of an object, detection circuitry can also detect certain compositions, such as explosives, drugs, etc.

 

[elder999]

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenbe...an-technology-deployed-in-street-roving-vans/

American Science and Engineering, which is another manufacturer of the backscatter X-ray machines, has sold 500 backscatter machines that run in a van, on the highway, and can be used to scan neighboring vehicles as they drive by.

These machines do not only scan the shape of an object, detection circuitry can also detect certain compositions, such as explosives, drugs, etc.

Told ya so.

 

[seasoned]

I have no problem with any of this. I am all about love of country, and yes, I served my time years ago in the military. This is not the same country after 9/11, as it was before. I understand about personal privacy, and all of that, but, when it comes to saving lives and securing our way of life, concessions need to be made. Red flags mean problems, no red flags, no problems. From time to time I fly, and I want to get back home in one piece. If I am driving down a public highway loaded with explosives and automatic weapons, I need to be pulled over. This all seems straight forward to me, if someone feels I need to be checked, check away. If I am clean, life goes on, if not, then it's my bad. I question in my mind people that have a problem with this, what ya trying to hide my friend.

 

[5-0 Kenpo]

I have no problem with any of this. I am all about love of country, and yes, I served my time years ago in the military. This is not the same country after 9/11, as it was before. I understand about personal privacy, and all of that, but, when it comes to saving lives and securing our way of life, concessions need to be made. Red flags mean problems, no red flags, no problems. From time to time I fly, and I want to get back home in one piece. If I am driving down a public highway loaded with explosives and automatic weapons, I need to be pulled over. This all seems straight forward to me, if someone feels I need to be checked, check away. If I am clean, life goes on, if not, then it's my bad. I question in my mind people that have a problem with this, what ya trying to hide my friend.

I am a cop. I carry a gun on me everywhere I go. My wife is a cop, she carries a gun on here everywhere she goes. Sometimes, for work or for play, I go shooting and carry a gun other then a handgun on me, to include rifles and shotguns. All perfectly legal.

I do not want to get stopped because I am conducting a legal activity.

The fact of the matter is that if we allow the government to continue on this trend, there is nothing that they won't be able to do "for your safety". At some point, I guarantee, they will take away a right that you believe in, but because they have already taken everyone else away, there will be no one left to help you fight for your cause.

People in this country need to wake up before it's too late. This is exactly the type of thing the Founders sought to protect us from when writing the Constitution.

The story goes:

At the close of the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government the Constitution was bringing into existence. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

We aren't doing a very good job of keeping it anymore.

 

[Ken Morgan]

I am a cop. I carry a gun on me everywhere I go. My wife is a cop, she carries a gun on here everywhere she goes. Sometimes, for work or for play, I go shooting and carry a gun other then a handgun on me, to include rifles and shotguns. All perfectly legal.

I do not want to get stopped because I am conducting a legal activity.

The fact of the matter is that if we allow the government to continue on this trend, there is nothing that they won't be able to do "for your safety". At some point, I guarantee, they will take away a right that you believe in, but because they have already taken everyone else away, there will be no one left to help you fight for your cause.

People in this country need to wake up before it's too late. This is exactly the type of thing the Founders sought to protect us from when writing the Constitution.

The story goes:

At the close of the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government the Constitution was bringing into existence. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

We aren't doing a very good job of keeping it anymore.

I agree with you, but as an outsider I see many Americans have woken up to the slippery slope, getting slipperier (Is that a word??). The whole issue really becomes, what do you do about it? How do you change it? Can you strip enough of the garbage off of the problem to get down to the core of the issue, and deal with the real issue? Or will you be fighting against the symptoms in the future?

 

[MA-Caver]

I've seen scanners like this for Cargo Ships/Containers on the History Channel (Modern Marvels) and supposedly they're scanning every single one... whenever they can get around to it since over 10,000+ arrive each week in the various ports across the U.S. shorelines.

It therefore is conceivable that they would have smaller versions for highway traffic... but they should be scanning for potentially dangerous items not personal firearms. Now if an Highway Patrol pulls someone over and asks if there are weapons in the vehicle then I guess that is okay. But as mentioned, to be pulled over just because the scanners SHOW you have weapon(s) is getting TSA... and what would be the charge? The only one they could use if there were no permit or proof of ownership or whatever makes a firearm legal to have.

We're slowly, incrementally entering into a police state in this country. Now folks can cry: The Terrorists Won ... all they want but it still doesn't STOP the slow erosion of our civil liberties and the Constitution. Until it's taken away we still have the power via democracy to force the heads of state to change the laws and to do whatever it is necessary to restore our freedoms and to find better ways to PROTECT those freedoms as well as get us back on track to being a strong nation.
Today on NPR I heard the Euro is now almost equal if not surpassed the Dollar. Economist say cutting or raising taxes isn't the answer and increasing or cutting spending isn't the answer. Creating jobs is... but (again) not at the cost of our freedoms (TSA, DHS, et al ).

Scanning us as we drive ... I've been talking about giving up flying commercially and now I might have to give up DRIVING? What next, limiting the amount of distance I can WALK?

 

[5-0 Kenpo]

I agree with you, but as an outsider I see many Americans have woken up to the slippery slope, getting slipperier (Is that a word??). The whole issue really becomes, what do you do about it? How do you change it? Can you strip enough of the garbage off of the problem to get down to the core of the issue, and deal with the real issue? Or will you be fighting against the symptoms in the future?

My personal opinion?

There is nothing we (as a group) will do about it, and very little that we can.

I will give you and example. I sometimes sit as the Sergeant-in-Arms at the city council meeting. At one of those meetings, the council was voting on what to recommend to the county transit agency regarding the placement of a rail transit center. The two main sites were across the street from one another.

To a person, the citizens that made their voices heard, and there was a lot, spoke to one particular side. The city council, in their infinite wisdom, chose the exact opposite side. They refused to listen (sounds a lot like those town hall meetings to me).

But they still voted those same people into office the next election.

That's the section where we won't do something about it.

There is also very little that we can do. The U.S. Supreme Court has sided again and again with the government in the erosion of our rights. Gun laws, drug laws, bicycle helmet laws, invasive search laws. Time and time again, as long as the illusion of our rights are still there, or the illusion that our safety is still there, we continue to go along with it.

This is why the Founders wanted us to have arms. So that when our government becomes oppresive, we would have the capabilty to stand up for ourselves. Some free states still have that. But more and more the Federal Government is taking over, telling those states what to do.

Sure, we'll stand up on particular issues, but the principles are being ignored.

One of the reasons, I believe, for that is our cultural diversity. In the words of Hamish from "Braveheart": the people of this country "coulna' agree on the color of *****..." We have no common goals, no common principles, no common understanding of government and it's roles and responsibilities.

That is not to say that we couldn't incorporate those positive aspects from diverse cultures into our system, as the Chinese did, lo those many years ago. But we don't. We mix like oil and water, sometimes congealing together, but mostly not.

That's just one man's opinion, mind you.

 

[CanuckMA]

America has become a scared country. And the folks in charge see it in their best interest to keep it that way.

Contrast that with Israel. They are surrended by forces that actively try to blow them up daily. Once in the country, other than a the large number of soldiers walking around, which is no different than if the US had the draft and then everybody had to do reserve duty, the feel of the country is incredibly normal.

 

[Carol]

America has become a scared country. And the folks in charge see it in their best interest to keep it that way.

Contrast that with Israel. They are surrended by forces that actively try to blow them up daily. Once in the country, other than a the large number of soldiers walking around, which is no different than if the US had the draft and then everybody had to do reserve duty, the feel of the country is incredibly normal.

Why assume it is just America?

American Science and Engineering states they have sold these to foreign government agencies...not just domestic.

 

[seasoned]

I am a cop. I carry a gun on me everywhere I go. My wife is a cop, she carries a gun on here everywhere she goes. Sometimes, for work or for play, I go shooting and carry a gun other then a handgun on me, to include rifles and shotguns. All perfectly legal.

I do not want to get stopped because I am conducting a legal activity.

The fact of the matter is that if we allow the government to continue on this trend, there is nothing that they won't be able to do "for your safety". At some point, I guarantee, they will take away a right that you believe in, but because they have already taken everyone else away, there will be no one left to help you fight for your cause.

People in this country need to wake up before it's too late. This is exactly the type of thing the Founders sought to protect us from when writing the Constitution.

The story goes:

At the close of the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government the Constitution was bringing into existence. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

We aren't doing a very good job of keeping it anymore.

With all due respect, I did mention before and after 9/11. So, there are two entities at work here. (1) There is a need to stop an enemy that we are at war with, and wishes to kill Americans, right here, on our own soil. I may add, an enemy, that also walks among us, to a certain degree, because of our freedoms. (2) We are a free nation, with rights and privileges, that we fought and died for, rights and privileges that are not seen in most of the world.
There is indeed a fine line between keeping the populous safe, and maintaining the freedoms that we all love dearly.
As I look at what I have written, there is a third entity here, (3) one that is growing bigger, every day. This one is suppose to keep us safe from foreign enemies, but because of a lack of proper gate keeping, and because of our freedoms, has allowed this enemy to occupy our land, unnoticed. This is a fact. Although unsuccessful, so far, this enemy needs to be addressed and stopped, before it is too late.
Now begs the question, how do we do this, and maintain the freedoms that Americans have shed blood for. Can we do all of this, and still maintain out pre 9/11 lifestyle? I am not about stripping freedoms away from us, freedoms, that I love and enjoy, very much. What be the answer???

 

[Bruno@MT]

With all due respect, I did mention before and after 9/11. So, there are two entities at work here. (1) There is a need to stop an enemy that we are at war with, and wishes to kill Americans, right here, on our own soil. I may add, an enemy, that also walks among us, to a certain degree, because of our freedoms. (2) We are a free nation, with rights and privileges, that we fought and died for, rights and privileges that are not seen in most of the world.
There is indeed a fine line between keeping the populous safe, and maintaining the freedoms that we all love dearly.

Oh Bollocks.
Every day that you get into your car, you know that there is a good chance you'll die in a car wreck. You know it and you accept it because the odds are so slim. If the government wanted to make the act of driving a car a nuisance, with daily stops and car searches for alcohol or do other stupid things, you probably wouldn't stand for it.

Food poisoning takes many lives per year but you don't ask to send health code violators to guantanamo, you don't expect swat to perform raid on suspect kitchens, and you don't strip search and scan hot dog vendors on the street.

The risk of dying in a terrorist action are infinitesimally smaller, yet a complete erosion of your freedoms and rights, and expenditure of billions of dollars are perfectly reasonable 'to keep you safe'?

You already are safe. You just don't know it.

 

[seasoned]

With all due respect, I did mention before and after 9/11. So, there are two entities at work here. (1) There is a need to stop an enemy that we are at war with, and wishes to kill Americans, right here, on our own soil. I may add, an enemy, that also walks among us, to a certain degree, because of our freedoms. (2) We are a free nation, with rights and privileges, that we fought and died for, rights and privileges that are not seen in most of the world.
There is indeed a fine line between keeping the populous safe, and maintaining the freedoms that we all love dearly.
As I look at what I have written, there is a third entity here, (3) one that is growing bigger, every day. This one is suppose to keep us safe from foreign enemies, but because of a lack of proper gate keeping, and because of our freedoms, has allowed this enemy to occupy our land, unnoticed. This is a fact. Although unsuccessful, so far, this enemy needs to be addressed and stopped, before it is too late.
Now begs the question, how do we do this, and maintain the freedoms that Americans have shed blood for. Can we do all of this, and still maintain out pre 9/11 lifestyle? I am not about stripping freedoms away from us, freedoms, that I love and enjoy, very much. What be the answer???

Oh Bollocks.
Every day that you get into your car, you know that there is a good chance you'll die in a car wreck. You know it and you accept it because the odds are so slim. If the government wanted to make the act of driving a car a nuisance, with daily stops and car searches for alcohol or do other stupid things, you probably wouldn't stand for it.

Food poisoning takes many lives per year but you don't ask to send health code violators to guantanamo, you don't expect swat to perform raid on suspect kitchens, and you don't strip search and scan hot dog vendors on the street.

The risk of dying in a terrorist action are infinitesimally smaller, yet a complete erosion of your freedoms and rights, and expenditure of billions of dollars are perfectly reasonable 'to keep you safe'?

You already are safe. You just don't know it.

Question answered, sit and wait. I think we tried this.

 

[LawDog]

5 0 Kenpo,
Both my wife and I are retired cops and I agree with you all the way. Our Constitution says one thing and the USAs' Homeland Gestapo says another. All dictatorships start out with "in the interest of national security and public saftey".
I am starting to see a trend, many who never had to put it on the line for our country in one way or another usually don't mind giving up our Constitional Rights. Once you have put it all out there so that our Constitional way of life will go on one is usually reluctant to give it away to those govern"mental" types who never have.
How many polititions have to go through those nude scanners or are they brought around them? What about TSA officials and business exe's?
It seems that gover"mental" offficials, Judges and Homeland officials have moved into the "above the law" statis.

 

[Omar B]

Time for me to cut out the middle man and just drive naked.

 

[Makalakumu]

This is all I have to say...

 

[Makalakumu]

I have no problem with any of this. I am all about love of country, and yes, I served my time years ago in the military. This is not the same country after 9/11, as it was before. I understand about personal privacy, and all of that, but, when it comes to saving lives and securing our way of life, concessions need to be made. Red flags mean problems, no red flags, no problems. From time to time I fly, and I want to get back home in one piece. If I am driving down a public highway loaded with explosives and automatic weapons, I need to be pulled over. This all seems straight forward to me, if someone feels I need to be checked, check away. If I am clean, life goes on, if not, then it's my bad. I question in my mind people that have a problem with this, what ya trying to hide my friend.

The problem isn't what people have to hide, it's whether or not we believe in the Constitution. This is the foundation of this country and these practices violate the very principles upon which this country is based. If you love this country and love the document that acknowledges the freedom you enjoy, then you need to take a second look at the Bill of Rights and what it means to have people strip searched with no probable cause. IMHO, if a person is willing to allow his rights to be violated to be protected from a minuscule threat, that professed love of country may very well be misplaced. Do you love the country or are you simply being subservient to the government?

To me, love of country means supporting our Constitution. No backing down.

 

[Makalakumu]

There is nothing we (as a group) will do about it, and very little that we can.

This is why I say one person on the street waving a sign or otherwise resisting tyranny has more courage then 1000 other men in this country. You can't wait until everyone else stands up, because that's what most other people are doing. One person can still stand up to this.

 

[elder999]

The problem isn't what people have to hide, it's whether or not we believe in the Constitution. This is the foundation of this country and these practices violate the very principles upon which this country is based. If you love this country and love the document that acknowledges the freedom you enjoy, then you need to take a second look at the Bill of Rights and what it means to have people strip searched with no probable cause. IMHO, if a person is willing to allow his rights to be violated to be protected from a minuscule threat, that professed love of country may very well be misplaced. Do you love the country or are you simply being subservient to the government?

To me, love of country means supporting our Constitution. No backing down.

Meh. 5-0 is right. (Funny, I thought for the longest time that he was a lawyer, and his profession is right there in his handle! And I'm supposed to be soooo observant....:lol: )

I said as much right here, in the very first thread I started on Martial Talk,four years ago:

The Constitution will still be there and not a word of it will be changed nor will it have been amended. It will remain in place, a showcase to the world, but it will mean nothing.

We’re not changing the wording or the intent of the Constitution, we’re just ignoring it.

One of the first things that Rita-that's the wife- dragged me on was avalanche school, in Silverton, CO-the first of her meager attempts at collecting on my life insurance policy.We're facing an avalanche now-or a tsunami, take your pick for metaphors of inexorable, inevitable force, because that's what we're in now-the end game. Only two things to do under such circumstances: have someplace to hunker down properly, or get out of the way.

Try standing on the shore with your sign, and stopping the tsunami. See what happens. I don't call that "brave," John. I call it stupid.

And so, with each extra step, with every act of Obama's that indicates he's part and parcel of the big corporate machine-no matter what Big Don or some other conservative might actually be told to think, with the erosion of each freedom, including the simple right of growing crops and raising animals for food, with the TSA reaching up our collective kilts and feeling our fancy bits, with scanners-and ELINT vans-roaming the highways, with the NSA listening in on all of our conversations just because they want to, I get to say I told you so.

I told ya so. Wish that those words tasted better.

 

[Makalakumu]

Only two things to do under such circumstances: have someplace to hunker down properly, or get out of the way.

Try standing on the shore with your sign, and stopping the tsunami. See what happens. I don't call that "brave," John. I call it stupid.

This isn't something you can avoid. There's no running and hiding and there is no way to get out of the way. This is globalism and it will go everywhere eventually. Any security you think you can create is wishful thinking. There are only two real choices. They are resistance and acceptance. Getting out of the way or hunkering down is acceptance.

Maybe the price will rise high enough that acceptance in the only real choice (if you want to live), but we are NOT there yet. I don't believe the situation is hopeless.

Grab your surfboard braddah!

 

[crushing]

I have no problem with any of this. I am all about love of country, and yes, I served my time years ago in the military. This is not the same country after 9/11, as it was before. I understand about personal privacy, and all of that, but, when it comes to saving lives and securing our way of life, concessions need to be made. Red flags mean problems, no red flags, no problems. From time to time I fly, and I want to get back home in one piece. If I am driving down a public highway loaded with explosives and automatic weapons, I need to be pulled over. This all seems straight forward to me, if someone feels I need to be checked, check away. If I am clean, life goes on, if not, then it's my bad. I question in my mind people that have a problem with this, what ya trying to hide my friend.

As these scanners on wheels are improved upon, they will be able to drive by your house or appartment and inventory the contents, including people. It's likely they can already do this. This should be fine by you since you have nothing to hide, because the 4th Amendment is only for criminals that have something to hide. Right? Just like free speech is limited to those people that say the right things and the second amendment is about hunting.