If they stopped focusing on the pretend part of their mission, TSA might find that they could actually provide an acceptable level of airside security. They need to get back to basics:

1. Tell their screeners to stop pretending they are Kojak at the checkpoints, especially when the role they play comes across more like Chief Wiggum and Barney Fife.

2. Get rid of their behavior detection officers. The TSA isn't doing an adequate job of finding prohibited items at the checkpoint-- they need extra resources there, and should not be having people playing Madam Cleo with passengers.

3. Get rid of their ID/boarding pass checkers. These people add no security whatsoever to the process. Half of the time these guys don't even bother reading the boarding pass (I've gotten through intentionally showing the boarding pass for my next leg a few times). At a minimum, at least tell them they don't have to use their little toy lights on the boarding passes. It's embarrassing for all of us when they clearly don't know that there's nothing hidden to see on a sheet of standard 8.5x11 paper.

4. Get rid of the liquids restriction. Taking people's water bottles away does nothing to enhance security, and folks consuming time/resources for this activity could either be used elsewhere or just plain eliminated altogether.

5. Get rid of the TSA guy who sits on the airside-to-landside exit at airports. Half of the time these guys have their eyes closed or are playing with their radios or cell phones anyway. These people could be effectively and affordably replaced with alarmed one way glass partition doors.