Airport security measure violates child porn laws?

I have an important message for you, and it’s very important that you read it slowly and understand it completely. Here it goes: There are people out there called terrorists, and they like to kill people, often by blowing them up. We need to do everything we can to stop the terrorists and protect innocent people.

You might think that message is simplistic and goes without saying. If you feel this way, you probably have an IQ over 50. Unfortunately, there are too many people in the world who are terribly out of touch and don’t understand the reality of the world. This type of (or lack of) thinking is displayed perfectly on the topic of using body scanners at airports. As you may know, a terrorist linked to Al-Qaeda attempted to blow up a plane with 300 people on Christmas. You would think that this act would be enough to convince people of the dangers we face, but obviously, it’s not enough.

There have been those who criticize body scanners because of the pictures that are shown to a security guard located in a distant room, who never come in contact with the person being scanned. The criticism is even more ridiculous when you consider that the picture is nothing more than a ghostly outline. Despite this, many are up in arms over what they perceive as privacy issues. I didn’t think it could get any sillier than that, until I read that some in Great Britain believe that the scanning of children could result in child pornography. Yes, you read correctly.

Some feel that the scanners violate child porn laws, and are nothing more than “virtual strip searches”. Terri Dowty of Action for Rights of Children believes the scanners violate the 1978 Protection of Children Act, and that exemptions built into the law shouldn’t apply:

“They do not have the legal power to use full body scanners in this way,” said Dowty, adding there was an exemption in the 1978 law to cover the “prevention and detection of crime” but the purpose had to be more specific than the “trawling exercise” now being considered.

Don’t you just love the attitude? A “trawling exercise?” It seems like Ms. Dowty has no idea what is at stake. I wonder how many more people have to be killed by terrorists before Ms. Dowty and people like her think these types of searches are necessary.

As for children being scanned, they should not be allowed to board a plane without also passing through the scanner. To some, this may seem ridiculous, but it is necessary. If children are exempted from the rule, Al-Qaeda will almost certainly take advantage of this security breech and use children to smuggle explosives. To believe differently is naive.