he TSA’s cranked up their spin machine, but a closer look gives a different picture.
For example, the LA Times (which previously ran an editorial Shut up and be scanned) reports that of the 50,000 travelers at LAX, 133 people opted out of the scans and requested patdowns instead.
At first glance, that doesn’t sound like a lot … but wait a second: remember the TSA’s repeated reassurances that very few of passengers are selected for additional screening. I saw several different estimates for this. Suppose 1% of travelers are selected for scanning.
via iwilloptout.org
So 1% of 50k people is 500. 133 people opt-ing out means 26.6%. What if the number of people they subjected to extra screening was half a percent? Then we’re up to more than 50%!
It’s like the quote from Aaron Levenstein: “Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” And you know that TSA is going to crank up the PR machine, spin it positively. The lamestream media and sheeple will simply eat it up.
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