Transportation Minister John Baird Wants Naked Pics of YOU

Today we received some reassuring news from Federal Transportation Minister John Baird and Minister of State Rob Merrifield. At a scheduled press conference the dynamic duo announced that security at eleven  of Canada’s airports would be increased through the deployment of 44 full body imaging scanners.

The fact is, these scanners are merely an attempt to reassure passengers that they are safe. Security experts have already stated that even if the scanners had been in place before Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab had boarded the Detroit-bound plane that he unsuccessfully tried to destroy, the explosives he had sewn into his gaunch would very likely not have been detected by the body imaging technology.

So why are we paying some security corporation to install these full body scanning machines? Forget about the so-called invasion of my privacy as some security geek looks at an image of my muscle-rippled body. However, if the body imaging scanners could not have detected the explosives that the Christmas day bomber had on his person, what is the purpose of these imaging devices? They really are sounding like a placebo to make people feel more secure. In all honesty, I would suggest that they save the mega-bucks that they are planning to spend and instead, install a metal door-frame for all passengers to walk through. Make the door-frame beep loudly and release a flash of light and everybody will feel safer. As the passengers walk through the metal door frame, a security dude could be standing on the other side holding a light saber that he could pretend to wave around the passengers as if he or she was completing the search procedure.

Real security would come from having security people on the job, doing their job. For example, if a guy’s father phones your embassy and says that his son has gone to the dark side and is probably a massive security risk and the son then buys an airline ticket with cash, checks in no luggage, and wears freaky looking underwear…just maybe you want to act on that information and check the dude out before allowing him on a plane. That would be an appreciated increase in security. Having security people on the ground listening for messages like the one from the father of Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab and acting on that intelligence, that is the kind of security that will make people more secure. Having a picture of my muscle-ripped body taken, that doesn’t make me feel a bit more secure.