Over Thanksgiving weekend, some passengers said "No Thanks" to the new airport full body security scanners, which they felt left them literally overexposed.
The new scanners, which leave nothing to the imagination, raised the ire of travelers who said they were intrusive and violated their privacy. Those who refused to go through the scanners were subjected to TSA pat downs, which under recent new procedures have become more hands-on.
The federal government says full body scanners help thwart possible terrorists and protect passengers' safety. It's a delicate balance: safety vs. privacy. One Northern Kentucky attorney and political blogger thinks he's found a solution, and travelers are taking note.
Marcus Carey, who lives in Owen County, has just launched
Scannershirts through his company The Conceived In Liberty Project. His business produces a line of t-shirts and underwear with strategically placed stars designed with ink that blurs images of wearer's private parts underneath. The design also includes the Great Seal of the United States and the words "All Rights Reserved."
Carey, who blogs at on politics at
BluegrassBulletin.com, said the clothing was a practical response to the reports of flyer discomfort with the body scanners.
"I perceived a need during these protests," Carey said. "I saw it as a reasonable compromise between competing interests."
Carey had planned a small rollout of the product this year, but after local news outlets picked up a product press release, media and public interest exploded. The first press stories trickled out last Monday, on Wednesday site traffic shut down the web server. By Friday Carey was looking for a closer garment manufacturer. Currently the clothing is manufactured in California, it's packaged and delivered from his home.
"It's kind of going viral," he said.
In response to interest, Carey is considering offering a larger range of sizes and new designs. He believes there's a central reason the product appears to be quickly catching on with flyers.
"People have kind of forgotten over the last few years what it feels like to take control of their lives; malaise has set in. A lot of people feel like they are powerless and things are taking place that they don't have control over," he said.
Scannershirts are a small way people can take back some control, Carey reasoned.
Carey's also has made a commitment to create a 100-percent American-made product, which he said was difficult because so many manufacturers have moved oversees.
"From the weaver on up, it's all American made," he said.
Additionally, he's also vowed to donate 20 percent of his net profits to
Tuesday's Children, a charity supporting the children of Sept. 11 terrorist attack victims and other victims of global terrorism.
By Feoshia Henderson
Source: Marcus Carey, creator Scannershirts
You can follow Feoshia on twitter
@feoshiawrites
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