Jaunted

Now, the administration is under attack from the opposite direction, as some travelers complain that the latest measures go too far. That—and polls showing broad public support for the X-ray machines—has left some White House advisers feeling "frustrated," as one put it, by an onslaught of media coverage focused heavily on the treatment of passengers rather than the dangers the measures are designed to prevent.

With that kind of attitude, it makes sense that the TSA's new media pushback would also be teeth-gratingly condescending.

The TSA blog put up a post after Thanksgiving that may, may, end up being more obnoxious than all the security theater in all the airports in all the country. Titled "Opt Out Turns Into Opt In," it was headlined with a picture of two smiling little girls holding up a sign that said "Thank You TSA For Keeping My Family Safe!" The post then all but openly mocked anonymous opt-out "protesters"—which we suppose is their word for "concerned citizens for whom we technically work"—and bragged that "opt out day has turned into a TSA appreciation day," and that airports were operating efficiently.

And now over to NYT super-pollster Nate Silver for an explanation of how TSA's bragging is based on shady statistical manipulation, so that we can be sure that the organization's pushback is condescending and inaccurate! Oh yea, not to mention that many of the full-body scanners were turned off that day anyways.

With a sophisticated media strategy like that, no doubt this backlash will soon be a thing of the past.

[Photo: Jacinta Quesada / FEMA / Wiki Commons]

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