I concur. Believe it, or not, most of the hassle the general public goes through at the airport is designed to make you "feel" secure. Look at the outrage spewed over the fact that 19 terrorists could commandeer 4 planes using box cutters they carried on with them. Everyone was screaming, "How could you let these people on with box cutters?!?" So now it is the FAA's fault that this happened. In typical knee-jerk fashion, the pendulum has swung and you can carry next to nothing on a flight with you. Why is this idiot surprised?
Why the gratuitous insult? If you can't make your point without denigrating your opponent, you can't make your point.
You are very correct about the "perception" of safety being the goal of the current screening guidelines, rather than real safety. First, TSA should choose searchees carefully, based on suspect descriptions (profiling) and individual activity (nervousness, etc.). Second, they need to go back to first and make sure they have it right.
Third, they need to get serious about knowing who has work-access to restricted areas (way too many illegal aliens have been found out on the tarmac).
I'll get off my soapbox now. (Sorry for the rant)