Originally Posted by PTravel

And that's my point. The secured cockpit with reinforced door has done more to deter hijacking (along with passenger awareness of the consequences of cooperation) than anything TSA has ever done. Hijacking has simply ceased to be significant threat to commercial aviation. Explosives remain a concern, but virtually nothing TSA does ameliorates that vulnerability. Anyone could walk through the checkpoint undetected with a pound of C4 in his pocket. Four terrorists could bring on a gallon of liquid explosives. A really determined terrorist group could place an atomic bomb on board a plane in air cargo.

And nothing TSA does would prevent it.

Originally Posted by PTravel

Which is roughly where we were before 9/11 and the billions of dollars expended on TSA. No one is opposed to having a secure commercial aviation system. However, we don't have one. Instead, what we have is an unregulated quasi-police force that is untrained (compared to real LEOs), ineffective and has little or no regard for the Constitution and the limits on government power it represents. It's not surprising that abuses of power are experienced and reported on a daily basis.

Originally Posted by PTravel

In another post, a TSO mentioned that he is thanked daily for the job that he does by people passing through his checkpoint. I find that the most frightening of all -- there is a huge segment of the American population that is willing to give up constitutional guarantees against government tyranny in the interest of security. History has shown, consistently, dramatically and often, the results of this kind of thinking.