# "National Opt-Out Day" -- Aw, Fuck! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 17, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978 "2010-11-17T15:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/61 "2010-11-17T21:31:01Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Two, if you film it. Don’t tell people to do that. You’ll get them arrested. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/62 "2010-11-17T21:55:19Z")
> [@The\_Weird\_One](#): > > I think I might take to wearing one of (warning: NSFW) these\* through security just for fun. Only one? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/63 "2010-11-17T22:30:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > My objections to TSA is that they don’t do a single positive thing in the way of security, not that they sit around fapping to back-scatter images. That and they have attracted the worst kind of authoritarian personalities into their employ. Well stated. Their sole objective is harassing the paying passengers. It sure as hell isn’t making those passengers any safer on their flight. Personally, I think everyone should eat a big load of beans the night before, and when the TSA person starts groping, you let fly in self-defense. Except then they would probably arrest you for chemical warfare or something. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/64 "2010-11-18T01:29:26Z")
Look, it is not my job to get groped to make it easier for policemen. Policemen are supposed to make my life easier. They need to work around me. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/65 "2010-11-18T01:35:44Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Look, it is not my job to get groped to make it easier for policemen. Policemen are supposed to make my life easier. They need to work around me. Just say, “Don’t tease me, bro’!” ---
**Author:** ![Dripping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d2c977/32.png) [@Dripping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dripping)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/66 "2010-11-18T01:55:56Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > Just say, “Don’t tease me, bro’!” WIN ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/67 "2010-11-18T03:08:08Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Because half the time the last bomb _wasn’t even a threat._ Didn’t chemists prove it’s a non-starter to try to make a mixed liquid bomb in an airplane bathroom? And yet I can’t bring my water on the plane. I don’t know about “prove”, but I have a Ph.D in chemistry, and if I tried to make enough TATP in an airplane bathroom to take down said plane I would probably do little more than cause my own death and start a fire. Now, the exact [procedure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_transatlantic_aircraft_plot) they planned on using isn’t familiar to me, so maybe it’s safer. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/68 "2010-11-18T04:11:21Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Pointless it may well be, but is there even a word for how clueless you have to be these days to not know about the 3-ounce rule? Yes, there is. There’s also a word for bozos that think things happening in the U.S. occur everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/69 "2010-11-18T05:33:14Z")
This is NOT a comment on whether or not the backscatter and grope should or should not be done. HOWEVER The idea of “we don’t keep the image” and “we don’t match the image to a person” just seems silly. If that’s really the case then what’s the point of doing it? Imagine a few scenarios… 1. Person goes through scanner, gets on plane and then goes KABOOM. Don’t you want to know what the scanner saw? 2. Person goes through scanner, which shows something suspicious. Gets pulled out and further screened and wants to argue the case. Don’t you want to know exactly what the scanner showed? 3. Training purposes. Don’t you want real life examples to show in the classroom? Whether or not you agree with the backscatter, not saving the images just seems totally counterproductive to the goals and also to good, common sense procedure. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/70 "2010-11-18T05:37:51Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Were they over 3 ounces? > > Pointless it may well be, but is there even a word for how clueless you have to be these days to not know about the 3-ounce rule? > Or did your brother know about the rule but figured it somehow wouldn’t be enforced on him? A different kind of clueless. > Or was he trying to make some statement by deliberately flouting the rule? Then he’s a jerk. > > I totally get thinking that the 3-ounce limit is stupid. In fact, I agree. But I have no sympathy for people who scream about being inconvenienced because they did something that _everybody in the world_ knows you’re not supposed to do. Quite besides the fact that I don’t know what an “ounce” is I am also not sure of exactly what is, and what is not allowed now. Whether the rules are still in force and what constitutes a liquid. No I don’t fly regularly and no I am not in the US. So good for you…I guess I just became a moron because what you consider common knowledge I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/71 "2010-11-18T13:02:04Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > Don’t tell people to do that. You’ll get them arrested. How about saying, “Now you know,” every time the TSA agent touches you during the patdown. “Now you know.” “Now you know.” “NOW you know.” “NOW you know.” “NOW you KNOW!” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/72 "2010-11-18T13:57:49Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Quite besides the fact that I don’t know what an “ounce” is I am also not sure of exactly what is, and what is not allowed now. Whether the rules are still in force and what constitutes a liquid. No I don’t fly regularly and no I am not in the US. > > So good for you…I guess I just became a moron because what you consider common knowledge I don’t know. Nah, you’re not a moron. I didn’t say moron anyhow, I said clueless, which (while not mutually exclusive) is different. But you’re not the one who tried to take prohibited items through security. You say you don’t fly often, so that’s a reason you may be ignorant of the rules. If you _did_ fly, though, and showed up at the airport without having bothered to find out what you can and can’t bring on the plane, then I might change my answer. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/73 "2010-11-18T14:04:03Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Look, it is not my job to get groped to make it easier for policemen. Policemen are supposed to make my life easier. They need to work around me. Paul, the screening personnel are NOT policemen. There is, thankfully, a huge difference between the TSOs (feds who conduct the screening) and the LEOs (policemen of the local jurisdiction). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/74 "2010-11-18T14:08:00Z")
Score! My local airport, Logan (Boston’s main airport), will be getting [new body scanners](http://www.necn.com/11/18/10/Logan-airport-to-overhaul-full-body-scan/landing_newengland.html?blockID=355486&feedID=4206) that only show a stick figure instead of a body image. This is a direct response to complaints over the current body scanners. This also proves that, in fact, options are not limited to let us see you nekkid or don’t fly. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/75 "2010-11-18T14:27:02Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > Paul, the screening personnel are NOT policemen. There is, thankfully, a huge difference between the TSOs (feds who conduct the screening) and the LEOs (policemen of the local jurisdiction). There is a big difference between a waiter and sommelier too. I do not care what it is when I ask them to bring me the desert menu. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/76 "2010-11-18T14:43:25Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > There are other, much more persuasive arguments against the TSA’s actions- like the fact that nothing they’ve done would have prevented 9/11. They’d have found box-cutters, surely? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/77 "2010-11-18T14:49:54Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > They’d have found box-cutters, surely? Of course. But if we’d had scanners back then that were actively used and would have found boxcutters, the hijackers would have used something else. That’s the entire reason 9/11 worked; the hijackers targeted a hole in our security. Back then, passengers were told to cooperate with hijackers and to wait for the situation to be resolved- there’s no way in hell that will ever work again. If another 9/11 situation happens, it’ll be designed around our current security. If our current security looks for boxcutters, the potential hijackers will use something that security _doesn’t_ look for. That’s why the TSA is nothing but security theater. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/78 "2010-11-18T14:58:46Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Quite besides the fact that I don’t know what an “ounce” is I am also not sure of exactly what is, and what is not allowed now. Whether the rules are still in force and what constitutes a liquid. No I don’t fly regularly and no I am not in the US. The 3 ounce rule is the 100mL rule outside the US. I don’t think you’re a moron for not knowing that, but why did your brother reassure your parents that everything they brought would be okay? It sounds like they were unsure what was allowed, and that information is available on every airline website I’ve ever seen, as well as being easily Googled. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/79 "2010-11-18T15:00:23Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > They’d have found box-cutters, surely? [No, not really](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/the-things-he-carried/7057/). executive summary: Journalist has passed security while carrying on his person: _pocketknives, matches from hotels in Beirut and Peshawar, dust masks, lengths of rope, cigarette lighters, nail clippers, eight-ounce tubes of toothpaste (in my front pocket), bottles of Fiji Water (which is foreign), and, of course, box cutters._ In one case he was passed through security with no ID, a forged boarding pass, and an Osama Bin Laden tshirt on. In another incident his bag is searched and the inspector finds his Hezbollah flag, and hands him his stuff back without comment. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978/80 "2010-11-18T15:07:34Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > There is a big difference between a waiter and sommelier too. I do not care what it is when I ask them to bring me the **desert** menu. An attitude like that is why you keep getting sand sprinkled over your linzertorte instead of powdered sugar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-opt-out-day-aw-fuck/560978.md?page=5)