It really saddens me to watch what has been happening to airline travel over the past decade. Obviously, by having this site, I’m a huge proponent of exploration of any kind, from small/large road trips, cruises, and of course flying for long-distance travel.

Its why I truly can’t understand what the Department of Homeland Security thought it would accomplish when it introduced groping, fondling and molestation to the required list of pat-down procedures. I really don’t know how better to word it, but that is exactly what the new procedures are.

Personally though I travel a lot, I have not yet been asked to go through the invasive x-ray’s that allow random security people to see you naked, nor have I gone through the gropings. This has been by sheer luck, I’ve been through a few airports that had the new invasive scanners, but none of them have required all passengers to go through (I assume because of the additional time it takes). Should I be asked I certainly will opt out as I have no interest in subjecting myself to radiation that our own doctors are saying have not been proven safe. The new pat-down procedures present a conundrum though, subject yourself to unnecessary radiation, or subject yourself to an unnecessary fondling without the courtesy of a few dates to get to know each other.

Like anyone else, its not an issue of having something to hide, and personally for myself it has nothing to do with embarrassment, its simple liberty. Its my body, and I get to control who sees/touches it. The crazy thing is that my opinion is actually pretty tame when you consider the anger out there, and the anger is rightfully placed.

But national Opt-Out day is not what the TSA or airlines have to worry about. They have to worry about this:

I currently have plane tickets purchased for a future trip. Unless the lose/lose invasion of privacy security options are gotten rid of, those will be the last airline tickets I ever purchase. That’s no exaggeration, we’ve driven over 1,100 mile trips before, and we’ll gladly do it again and again, and all without the need to subject ourselves to ridiculous restrictions on how much toothpaste we can carry nor invasion of our privacy and ridiculous delays; and there are a lot of people with that mentality.

My suggestion to people who have an option, opt out of the nude x-rays if you have to fly. But if you can, take this time to discover what’s within a car’s reach, or re-discover travel by train; they are both very realistic options, and there are plenty things around to discover that a plane flies over.