TSA body-check boycott?

I know this a little bit old, but someone asked me about it and I figured I should follow up on it.

When I first heard about full-body scans at airports, all I could think about was the scene at the space port in that classic Arnold Schwarzenegger flick, "Total Recall." All of the passengers pass in front of this giant x-ray screen and you get to see the skeletons walking through the detector. I never thought anything about it at the time because it was a pretty awesome effect at the time, especially with Arnold busting out of the screen a few minutes later. Lots of action can make up for moments that should make you think.

I don't think anyone watching that movie had a moment to wonder about the amount of radiation involved in the procedure. I know I didn't. So here we are almost a decade later and we are concerned about what this new form of security will entail. I certainly can't blame anyone who has a concern about the radiation risks, but how does the radiation exposure from this machine compare to the hour on the tanning bed, or out in the sun?

Now there is an alternative available-the body check. All the news and personal reports about this option sound unappealing. No one wants their personal space invaded in this manner. There are stories of inappropriate touching and injury in some cases. Considering my options, I think I'd be inclined to take my chances with the radiation rather than give a complete stranger that kind of access to my body.

Nevertheless, there was a huge movement to boycott the scanner and force TSA workers to perform the body checks over the Thanksgiving holiday in order to mess up the system and show government officials why both the scanners and pat downs are a bad idea. What is wrong with you people? It's the holidays. No one wants to spend more time in the airport when all they really want is to get home and see their family. I'm sure your idea has merit, but why not just call for a complete ban on air travel? That would be a whole lot more effective because the airlines would feel the need to put pressure on the government to back off.

So yeah, my first thought is don't ask people to mess up their holidays for your message. Go through the scanner and get on the plane. Just promise yourself that you won't tan that week and you will probably break even on your dosage of radiation. I'm sure that the TSA is already hard at work on new methods of doing these checks so boycotts won't do anything more than inconvenience your fellow travellers.

As a bonus opinion, I heard that one of the main proponents of the boycott wasn't even travelling over Thanksgiving. Way to go, buddy! It's always impressive to see a guy asking other people to stand up for something they aren't willing to stand up for themselves.