I know it is easy to pick on the TSA, but it occurred to me the other day that some of the blame should fall on us for how we chose to equip them.

The latest and greatest gadget in the TSA arsenal is the full body scanner. For those of us that have been in it, or for people like me that work in the airport, you cannot help but to think of it as the “surrender” machine.

You walk in, per instructions leaving everything out of your pockets and hands, and face the “image”

It demonstrates the required position to assume prior to the initiation of the analysis. This, pardon my active imagination, looks exactly like every picture, sketch, or painting of a POW I have ever seen.

When did this country accept that each and every person that wants to fly must “surrender”.

I am sure no one ever expected TSA to stand for;

To Surrender America.

Now please do not misunderstand me, I have no problem with the technology of the search, I have no problem with the requirement of the search, my problem lies in the fact that we (the American people) signed and paid for a contract in which the best position they could come up with to fulfill the contract was the POW pose.

I saw a gentleman going through the machine the other day with a “Bataan Survivor” hat on his head. This country has already asked too much of him to make him raise his arms in anything but to return the salute of a grateful nation.

As a matter of fact, I believe Senator John McCain, of whom I have great respect, cannot comply with this requirement due to his treatment by the inbound TSA in Vietnam of a few years ago. Of course it was a little different, they did shoot him down, perhaps TSA is To Shootdown Americans?

Isn’t it reasonable for the taxpayers of this country to expect technology we pay for be capable of performing as expected without demeaning, if not ordinary citizens, at least our heroes.

So let’s reopen the contract, require that they put a picture of the Stature of Liberty with the words “The Land of the Free” and require those of us that go through those machines to high five the Old Lady.

And for those leaving these shores let it serve as a reminder of how good we have it here in the USA.

I, for one, would go through every day and be proud