I made the mistake once of questioning the TSA guy over his insistance that my hotel-provided yogurt was not allowed when it was not a liquid or a gel on the list. He and those around him turned on that "how dare you question our authority" look and I quickly dropped the argument and tossed the yogurt into the bin.
I'm not sure who made the biggest mistake. Me for submitting to illegitimate authority on a stupid and pointless regulation or the guy who risked his life and limb fighting for freedom in Iraq who questioned that authority and took the time between flights to press that point with a TSA supervisor.
Someone needs to rid our country of this stupidity perpetrated by TSA in the name of a very FALSE security. There are far too many items, objects, substances, materials, and methods for a determined hijacker to use to hijack a plane that screening for items like liquids, gels, and nail clippers is worthless. We need to screen the PEOPLE, not every object or bevarge that they might be carrying. The Israelis, who have been the targets of far more terrorist acts than we have, have already figured this out and do a good job with it. We need to get this figured out before two inevitable things happen. We need to do it before someone else, like this WoT veteran gets harassed or beaten and jailed. And we need to do it before we're again shown that our current security measures are worthless and another hijacking incident takes place despite our false sense of security.
Someone needs to rid our country of this stupidity perpetrated by TSA in the name of a very FALSE security. There are far too many items, objects, substances, materials, and methods for a determined hijacker to use to hijack a plane that screening for items like liquids, gels, and nail clippers is worthless. We need to screen the PEOPLE, not every object or bevarge that they might be carrying. The Israelis, who have been the targets of far more terrorist acts than we have, have already figured this out and do a good job with it. We need to get this figured out before two inevitable things happen. We need to do it before someone else, like this WoT veteran gets harassed or beaten and jailed. And we need to do it before we're again shown that our current security measures are worthless and another hijacking incident takes place despite our false sense of security.It's become clear since 9/11 that airport security is all about appearing to be "doing something" rather than actual security. Simply securing the cockpit from in-flight entry (with perhaps an automatic IFF type alarm signal if emergency entry is neccesary) from the rest of the plane will prevent any recurrences of 9/11.
Even the armed air marshalls program was poorly implemented. They have/had a strict "dress code" in flight which makes them stand out like a sore thumb.
-Eric