CNN news 2010-11-24
We begin with airport security lines. Now battle lines for travelers who say they don't want to sacrifice privacy for the sake of safety. The TSA is feeling major pushback on full body scans and pat-downs. And now even the White House is weighing in.
You've probably seen or experienced the new pat-down procedures at airports. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says no thanks.
And I understand how difficult it is and how offensive it must be for the people who are going through it.
Final question, my time is up. But would you submit to one of these?
Not if I -- not if I could avoid it. No. I mean, who would?
It's a question a lot of people are asking when they see videos like this. It's gone viral online. A shirtless little boy getting patted down in Salt Lake City. The TSA says the little boy was searched after he set off a metal detector. So the boy's father took off his son's shirt to move the family through security faster.
But incidents like these are further fuel for critics of new screening procedures.
In North Carolina, a flight attendant and cancer survivor says she was asked to remove a prosthetic breast during a pat-down.
I had to pull it out and show her the prosthesis which was very embarrassing and very degrading.
A TSA representative tells WBTV that that incident is under review, but says agents are allowed to see and touch prosthetics.
In Detroit, a retired special education teacher and a bladder cancer survivor says his urostomy bag broke.
I had urine dripping down into my underwear, down my leg, on my shorts. This was so embarrassing and so humiliating. I wasn't prepared.
So Sawyer plans to file a formal complaint and the TSA promises to review the incident.
The TSA maintains it's sensitive to public concerns about enhanced pat-downs but says the extra security is necessary. Meanwhile, TSA chief John Pistole now finds himself answering to critics who say something has to give.
Well,We're always looking at ways that we can evolve our technology and protocols for how we go about and do this. In the short term, there will not be any changes.
The TSA points out that millions of Americans fly every day and that the number of complaints is extremely low. But a lot of those people will be facing the new security measures for the very first time this week as the holiday travel rush kicks into high gear. Carol Costello live at Reagan National Airport outside D.C. So, what do you think, Carol? What's everybody talking about?
Kyra, I've been here four hours. And guess what? I have not heard so far.
What is that?
Don't touch my junk. I haven't -- don't touch my junk. I have not heard that at all.
I think somebody already coined that term.
Not at all.
My guess is we're going to hear some other -- some other lovely phrases in the next couple of days.
Maybe so. But I haven't heard any this morning. In fact passengers seem rather resigned to the fact they have to go through these full body scanners. I'm at Reagan National in Washington, D.C. Right behind me you see the full body scanner.
Very few people have opted out. Perhaps knowing if they opt out of the full body scan they'll have to go through that invasive pat-down procedure.
Passengers are kind of mixed which procedure they prefer. I talked to several. Take a listen