Rep. Duncan Blasts TSA "Pat Downs," Scanners on House Floor

Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., former Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee and the current top Republican on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, blasts TSA's invasive "pat downs" during a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on November 17, 2010. Duncan also questions the role of lucrative government contracts in TSA's new naked body scanning machines. The text of the speech is copied below:

"Mr. Speaker:

A nationwide revolt is developing over the body scanners at the airports, and it should.

Hundreds of thousands of frequent fliers who fly each week are upset about getting these frequent doses of radiation.

Parents are upset about being forced to have their children radiated or being touched inappropriately by an unrelated adult.

There is already plenty of security at the airport, but now we are going to spend up to $300 million to install 1,000 scanners.

This is much more about money than it is about security.

The former secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, represents Rapiscan, the company which is selling these scanners to his former department.

Far too many federal contracts are sweetheart, insider deals.

Companies hire former high ranking federal officials, and then magically, those companies get hugely profitable federal contracts.

The American people should not have to choose between having full-body radiation or a very embarrassing, intrusive pat-down every time they fly, as if they were criminals.

We need a little more balance and common sense on this."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• TSA
• Pat-down
• screening
• Homeland Security
• Michael Chertoff
• Rapiscan
• body scanners
• opt out
• Jimmy Duncan
• John Duncan
• Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.
• congressman
• U.S. Congress
• United States
• House of Representatives
• fiscal conservative
• conservative
• liberty caucus
• big government
• Ronald Reagan
• spending
• national debt
• deficit
• libertarian

[bennywils12]

I like Abraham Lincoln's quote: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

[Death2theNWO777]

bout time to grab the pitchforks and torches people!!!

[Teskulthor]

Makes me so proud that you are my representative Mr.Duncan!

You and Ron Paul are my heroes. Keep up the good work!

[necroexmortis]

If you think this is for terrorists your dead wrong, welcome to the police state.

Your rights are being stripped away one bill at a time, the patriot act, the NDAA 2012 and the enemy expatriation act are unconstitutional. wake up and fight!

Know your rights. infowars and prisonplanet  Make Ron Paul President, he will get rid of the TSA

[josgvis]

@FKTHPOPE Have you looked into his connection with the company that makes these scanners? He's one of their biggest shareholders. Also look into "a cancer cluster" under TSA workers at Boston Airport. Was in the news for just a couple of days. Haven't read or heard anything about it on the mainstream news, unbelievable.

[josgvis]

Chertoff, Bush former Head of Homeland Security, is the biggest shareholder of the company that makes these scanners. He did a great selling job during his visits with the mainstream media.. go read about it.

[fonkymaster]

@FreeAmericanWoman

What excatly is their strategy?

[FKTHPOPE]

CHERTOFF IS A STINKING BASTARD .

IF THIS DOES NOW WAKEN UP SOME SHEEPLE WHO SAY ' CONSPIRACY THEORY ' WHAT THE HELL WILL .

Michael Chertoff's wife is a professor at Georgetown University, the Jesuit fortress of Washington DC!

Michael Chertoff once served as a clerk to William J. Brennan, a former Supreme Court Justice who was Roman Catholic and taught at Georgetown University

Michael Chertoff was appointed a prosecutor by Rudy Giuliani, who is Roman Catholic

[erikwilliamson77]

@FreeAmericanWoman first of all if someone sticks something anywhere, he will be sponsored by government anyway

[tnoyy34rt]

@thnksmarter - it's because all the highjackers were "muslim", most were from Saudi Arabia, the full list is here:

-

sptimes. com /2002/09/01/911/plotters. shtml

-

learn to check facts before you post...

[flippinsurreal]

FUCK YEAH! YOU GO DUDE.

[travelsonic]

Are you capable of critical thinking, or just parroting the same DHS/TSA buzzwords and phrases?

A person with critical thinking skills knows "if you dont like it dont fly" doesn't work for people who live on islands like Hawaii/the Virgin Islands, further questions why we should have to put up with that just to get somewhere when other countries have great trac records without them... no body scanners = next flight becomes perilous? Are you really THAT afraid? Get a goddammed grip.