I grew up in a very, very conservative family. I was taught that our Federal Government should be small, work within the bounds of The Constitution, and above all, should never be trusted. My beliefs about the role of the Federal Government and the objectives of The Constitution may have matured, but I still don’t trust the government. In fact, I’m quickly coming to believe that the level of corruption in our government is moving from “substantial” to “complete.” One needs to look no further than the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down key sections of campaign finance law, or their ongoing support for BP despite it’s disdain for the environment and for its workers.
That’s probably why this video annoys me. This is the company that makes the highly invasive and controversial “Backscatter X-Ray” scanners that airports are using to see through people’s clothes. It seems they’ve found another way to enable the government to invade our privacy without warrants or cause. They’re calling it the Z Backscatter Van [ZBV]. I’m calling it the Drive-By Porno Van [DBPV].
Basically, this tool will allow the government to search every car, purse, miniskirt and jockstrap on the street with no warrant and only the oversight they decide is appropriate. What frightens me most is that this hasn’t been picked up by the mainstream media. We’ve become so used to the slow degradation of our rights that this massive assault on basic privacy has barely even made the back page.