Yep, they let some people on with items that were NOT contraband. Then the people on the planes assumed the government-approved victim-position instead of fighting back and you know the rest.
Thanks to decades of propaganda from government officials at all levels, especially local law enforcement, Americans are conditioned to wait for "authorities" to take care of criminals/terrorists instead of fighting back. It took the first two planes hitting the towers which convinced the heroes on Flight 93 to do what should have been done on the others: fight back. I blame government a lot. It is largely responsible for creating the conditions that were conducive to 9/11.
Political correctness and the lawyers (ACLU) who work to institutionalize it are also to blame for discouraging sensible profiling with the fear of lawsuits.
You do have a point there.
I was only meaning to say that the airlines weren't proactive about security. If the gov. says look for guy, but not knives, then they were fine with that. Heck, before TSA, I once set off a scanner - no one came, so I continued to the airplane. The airlines were lax - and yes, so were the feds.