Diplomatic Pat Down

No right to your rights
 
An Indian diplomat gets frisked, patted down to be more precise, and India gets upset over the whole incident. The fact that Ms. Meera Shankar, Indian ambassador to the US, was chosen for the pat-down because she was donning a saree was not the concern for Indian government is a bit worrisome in terms of human rights and human dignity.

For all those unfamiliar with TSA (Transport Security Authority) pat-downs, or grope-fest as others call it,
this procedure involves security personnel conducting a hands-on search on you and "this inspection may include sensitive areas of the body," according to TSA guidelines.

Ms. Shankar was chosen for the random pat-down at Jackson airport because they did not have full-body scanner, commonly known as porno-scanner (I din't make that up). These scanners can reveal all, as well as intimate, parts of the human body – in high resolution. Even more worrisome is the ability to store the images from the scan- possibly for later use?

The US government has conveyed regret to the incident involving the Indian ambassador but what about the rest of the Indian women who are clad in sarees and want to travel by air? Aren't they too entitled to their dignity and modesty?

Some might say to opt-out or choose other alternative modes of travel if one is not comfortable with these procedures, but there are situations where air travel is unavoidable- like long distance journeys or health issues.

And along came the spider

All of you might remember the Christmas day bomber Abdul Muthalib and his failed attempt at bringing down a Detroit bound plane. Fortunately (mysteriously or curiously) the bomb did not detonate and no harm done, atleast to the passengers aboard the flight. What came along was series of reforms that deprives humans of their rights and dignity – Full body scanners and pat-downs.

It would be worth mentioning here the timing and method at which Full-body scanners were implemented into the system.

Mutallab's father, a rich, well known, and reputable Nigerian banker had gone to the US Embassy in his country and formally warned a State Department official as well as a CIA representative that his son was in Yemen and in all probability consorting with terrorists. Under these circumstances the person would be placed on a no-fly list, as UK placed them on theirs.

The hearings held on January 27 before the US House Homeland Security Committee reveal that Muthalib was allowed to keep his visa as the result of a national security override issued by the US intelligence or law-enforcement agency.

Reports also point out that all screening and security procedures had been scrapped or aborted so that Muthalib could board the plane, as a result the bomb too boarded the plane. Incidently, the explosion never took place, but a political one did.

Soon after the incident, full-body scanners were introduced. Simple as that.

Adding up the turn of events, its just too hard to believe that the whole incident has not been concocted up to meet some ulterior motive.

None of might have read or heard that Micheal Chertoff the former US National security adviser is also a representative for a company called Rapiscan, and their contract with TSA is worth $173 million. Rapiscan's lobbyists include Susan Carr, a former senior legislative aide to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

US has become a nation in which the media and the government thrives on the fears of it people, and its people willing to forgo their freedoms and liberties in its name. Its no longer the land of the free. Free speech is no longer free as evident from the recent WikiLeaks. And neither are your rights as guaranteed by the constitution.

As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." You have no right to you rights anymore.