Not only individuals are standing up against TSA's body scans and practices, but the most powerful pilot union in the world is fighting them too, according to this ALPA security alert sent by a Continental pilot. Napolitano's enemy list keeps growing.
The Air Line Pilot Association (ALPA) distributed this security alert on November 12 to its 53,000 members at 38 U.S. and Canadian airlines:
In it, the pilots mention their fruitless talks with US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and strongly oppose body scans:
ALPA categorically objects to this policy and is currently engaging government policy makers to bring short-term and long-term relief from this process to all flight crewmembers.
ALPA is objecting on the grounds that repeated scans could be dangerous to the health of crewmembers. But, as the Continental Airlines pilot who sent us the memo says, that's irrelevant. He says that any kind of search on pilots—and their luggage—is just stupid:
I do agree that pilots don't need to be screened at all. As a pilot, I still have to pull out my laptop to be screened. Really? Why would I go to the great lengths of making a laptop bomb when I am at the controls of an airplane?! If a pilot wants to cause harm, he certainly has ample opportunity.
Indeed. Like the rest of insane TSA rules, it just makes no sense whatsoever.