[MineralMan]

"Not if they want it to be effective. Look at El Al, most secure airline in the world, how do they get that way? They treat everybody like a hijacker.
"

Bingo. Fly El Al, especially in or out of Israel, and you'll understand what a real screening is. We're pikers when it comes to security screenings at airports. It's funny to hear folks recommending that we adopt their policies, and it's usually the same folks whining about the limited screeing in US airports as hassling.

[discostu]

Exactly, I don't think people realize that security in its essence is defining how a person is going to convince those in charge that they aren't a bad guy, in order to do that you must start from the position that everyone is at least a potential bad guy. Yeah it sucks, but anything else isn't security. Anything that assumes people aren't bad guys is nothing more than a show of force designed to intimidate the marginal bad guy, we aren't dealing with marginal bad guys any more.

[quidnunc]

MineralMan wrote: Depends on your definition of "hassling"…

Strip-seasrching my neighbor's five month-old grandson was hassling.

Attempting to confiscate Joe Foss' Medal of Honor which he received for heroism in the skies over Guadalcanal was hassling.

Bingo. Fly El Al, especially in or out of Israel, and you'll understand what a real screening is.

But their screening is principally talking to their customers first and only giving a shake-down to those they deem suspicious.

There's no random and sensless humiliation of passengers based on the SWAG (scientific wild-assed guess) system.

[FreedomCalls]

Fly El Al, especially in or out of Israel, and you'll understand what a real screening is.

Yes, and it's been said more than once by El Al screeners that our methods are stupid and ineffective because while TSA screeners look for weapons, El Al screeners look for terrorists. They make passengers answer a whole lot of questions relating to their travel and can detect evasive answers or inappropriate nervousness.