Flying

I read this comment from a recent news article and had the same exact thought earlier in the day regarding the recent measures taken to screen people at airports:

"19 hijackers hijacked 4 airplanes with box cutters. One crashed into the Pentagon, two crashed into the World Trade Center and one crashed in a field in Western Pennsylvania (because the crew and passengers foiled it). Now we ban box cutters. Another nutcase decided he was going to use his shoe as an explosive. Now we have to remove our shoes. A third wacko tried using something liquid. Now we have the 3 ounces in a quart size baggy. A fourth wingnut tried to hide explosives in his underwear. Now we get x-ray screenings. Care to suggest what would the TSA do when they find someone who has explosives hidden in their rectum or vagina?"

I would add to that comment: "what would the reaction be to someone who tries to sneak something on board in a baby's diaper, or bottle?"

I'm definitely against the measures taken recently to screen airline passengers and I believe the harm outweighs the benefit. I don't fly often, but for some reason I feel passionately enough about this that I may personally boycot transportation by commercial airplanes until the measures are modified or revoked. I'm not down with the guilty until proven innocent approach that TSA is taking towards the general public who fly, and not flying seems like the only reasonable alternative. Subjecting me to additional radiation and viewing a nude image of me is unacceptable. Alternatively, an invasive "pat down" where I'm groped all over my body is unacceptable. In any other scenario in life, both of these situations are more or less illegal. It also opens the door for more situations where we release our rights as human beings in the United States.

In biostatistics, I am often asked to help investigators evaluate the goodness of a diagnostic test (say, one to detect colon cancer).  We aim for high specificity (correctly classifying those without colon cancer) and high sensitivity (correctly classifying those with colon cancer), while minimizing the number of people who have to undergo a potentially invasive test (e.g. not everyone needs to undergo a colonoscopy every year of their lives).  The new screening measures are akin to asking people to undergo that colonoscopy every time they fly, regardless of whether or not they are at risk of developing colon cancer (or a risk to those on the flight). It results in too many people getting a needless test.

What's worse, is that it puts us in a reactive mode. By the time we get these screening methods up and running, terrorists will be hiding explosives up their asses! What then? Colonoscopies for everyone!