Before we get to anything else, it is critical to address the issue of whether the risk of terrorism has anything to do with the highly carcinogenic XRay scanners in airports. (Washington Post 1/10/10)

Since the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff has given dozens of media interviews touting the need for the federal government to buy more full-body scanners for airports.

What he has made little mention of is that the Chertoff Group, his security consulting agency, includes a client that manufactures the machines. The relationship drew attention after Chertoff disclosed it on a CNN program Wednesday, in response to a question.

An airport passengers' rights group on Thursday criticized Chertoff, who left office less than a year ago, for using his former government credentials to advocate for a product that benefits his clients.

This proves, not only beyond a reasonable doubt, but beyond a shadow of a doubt that "terror risks" played absolutely no role in the decision to deploy these highly carcinogenic scanners. The decision was based exclusively on blatant political corruption.

Now, let's look at the scanners themselves.

1) They bombard innocent Americans with XRays for ten seconds each time they are used.

2) Anyone who has taken some physics knows for a fact that it is physically impossible to limit exposure of XRays to human skin without the vast majority of the XRays penetrating the body. (The human body is not a highly sophisticated XRay mirror.)

3) The reason why XRays provide such good bone scans is that soft tissue (e.g. skin) doesn't show up at the levels of radiation exposure used for medical XRays.

4) To get the highly detailed scans being shown in the media as output from these carcinogenic scanners, the levels of radiation exposure would have to be orders of magnitude higher than medical XRays.

5) Tens of millions of Americans have been exposed to the highly carcinogenic scans without any kind of informed consent.

I should also point out that the how "opt out" thing is highly deceptive too. Here's how the TSA works the scam.

First, they have an employee randomly harassing everyone in line in a manner that borders on homicidal. This is done to disorient passengers who already are busy trying to comply with all the ridiculous rules that have nothing to do with fighting terrorism and everything to do with trying to scare people needlessly.

Second, they disguise the cancer causing scanners so it isn't obvious what they are. They refuse to have any kind of descriptive signage, much less the warning signs they are morally and ethically required to have for such dangerous machines.

Third, they talk you through the process without telling you that you are being exposed to the XRay scans. By the time you figure out what they are doing to you, it's too late.

So much for "opt out."

Of course, the corporate media are parroting corporate propaganda about the scanners, which amount to resorting to bad science fiction hand waving to claim that the scanners are safe. I'm not stupid enough to believe that bullshit, and you shouldn't believe it either. I have family too far away to reasonably visit by car or train, but one way I can reduce my exposure to these carcinogenic scans is to travel by car or train for vacations. I would like to take pleasure trips to Europe and across the country, but I'm not going to take a needless risk by going through these deadly scanners more than absolutely necessary.

Anybody who doesn't cut back air travel in response to these scanners is just plain stupid.

Anyway, obviously there is no way that I could ever vote for Barack Obama after he did something so incredibly heinous and unforgivable. It will be years before I will know if I got cancer from these incredibly dangerous scanners. However, if I do get cancer, I will devote the remaining time I have left to naming and shaming Barack Obama and all the other people responsible for the scanners that gave me that cancer.