Thanksgiving security protests fail but “don’t touch my junk” goes viral
Wednesday, 25 Nov, 2010
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Body scan protesters in the US failed in their plan to disrupt 1.6 million Americans travelling home today for Thanksgiving.
There has been a rising tide of anger amongst US travellers at what they see as highly intrusive body scanning and body checking at airports.
A loosely organised plan called National Opt-Out Day urged passengers travelling on November 24 to ask for a time-consuming pat down instead of a scan in protest at rough handling by security staff.
It was hoped this would show Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials just how many people did not agree with what many see as overly officious treatment.
But airports and airlines reported no major inconveniences as Americans charged home for their annual family turkey dinner.
Transportation Security Administration boss John Pistole told ABC’s "Good Morning America" TV show that his agency was "fully staffed" and ready to deal with any issues yet no major disruptions were reported through the day.
Meanwhile, an internet sensation is growing around video footage of a US airline passenger telling a TSA officials about to do a “groin check” “Don’t touch my junk”.
The 31-year-old Californian, John Tyner, was heading off on a hunting trip but never made it after TSA staff took exception to his remark.
Tyner secretly filmed the exchange on his phone and posted it online, prompting hundreds of thousands of web surfers to pledge their support and news reports across the US to feature the footage.
However, he now faces a $10,000 fine.
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
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