Monday, May 30, 2011
Michael Chertoff
Within three years, most airline passengers in the U.S. will have to pass through full-body scanners before boarding planes, exposing them to radiation levels that the government says are safe but that some scientists have questioned. The move towards scanning and away from profiling is largely the result of the so-called “radiation lobby,” which features a former top Bush administration official who has been peddling his experience and contacts as a lobbyist for the manufacturer of the scanners.
Michael Chertoff, former head of the Department of Homeland Security, has been pushing hard for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to put body scanners in all U.S. airports. His efforts have come on behalf of Rapiscan Systems, builder of the 900 machines on order from Washington.
Chertoff has teamed up with American Muslims to denigrate the use of profiling by TSA to spot would-be threats, while touting the effectiveness and safety of Rapiscan’s product.
The government says it will not make the scanners available for independent testing by outside scientists, some of whom say the equipment’s radiation dose may be worse than promised by Homeland Security.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
How the Radiation Lobby Puts Air Travelers at Risk (Investors.com)
Body Scanners Create Profits for Chertoff and Others (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Chertoff Exploits Detroit Plane Bomb to Stir up Business for Client (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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