I think something needs to be clarified here; just because something is not an enumerated right in the Constitution does not make it a "privilege." That mindset, if you walk-it-out, can lead to totalitarian government state where your only rights are those they enumerate for you.
The sole reason they began doing pat downs was to make the backscatter X-ray more appealing. So people would be less like to opt-out. TSA agents refer to the machines as DMD's... dick measuring devices.
The X-ray exposure is only a few pico-Sieverts, however it's not the same kind of X-ray that we have decades of experience with. These x-rays reflect off the skin, and all the energy that dissipates does so right there. Traditional x-rays move entirely through the target. No amount of X-ray exposure produces beneficial results. Flying at altitude does expose you to more X-ray (and other highly charged particles) than being at ground level, that said, I would prefer to not have any additional exposure, thanks.
I think it's just a matter of time before real world images start being leaked. Remember, the TSA has *never* stopped a terrorist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_theater
The terrorists won't use the same vector of attack, because now everyone on the plane knows that it's not someone looking to divert the flight or get paid ransom. Terrorism is far less common than people seem to think. Any terrorist in the US who wished to create destruction has his pick of targets. If it's as common as politicians try to scare us into believing, how come they are so incredibly unsuccessful?
We should have this type of X-ray technology fully deployed, though. Sitting at the harbors and ports scanning each shipping container as it moves away from the cranes. No more 4th Amendment problems, no more human-exposure problems, and a chance to really do some good.
H.
