I think the whole point of the aggressive new frisk is to deflect attention from the WBIs. I think the assumption (probably correct) is that if the public outcry is loud enough (like with the earlier breast gropes), TSA will back off at least some of the aggressive groping.

Then everyone will feel relieved, content in the belief that only someone who has something to hide will actually get groped. Folks will be so relieved to go through the WBI without an accompanying grope and bag search that they will forget about the WBI itself.

Meanwhile, TSA will have succeeded in 1) gaining public 'acceptance' of the WBI and 2) 'acceptance' of their right to grope aggressively on a retaliatory, sorry, random selective basis.

Sadly, only some of the pilots seem concerned about privacy or health issues.

Some of them seem to think the WBI and aggressive groping is fine, as long as they personally don't have to go through it. I wonder if their spouses, children, parents are equally on board with being WBI'd and groped.

I get the point about pilots being screened at all, since they obviously can bring a plane down without outside aids. (Although I wonder...how easy would it be for one pilot to take control of the plane if the other pilot was trying to prevent it?)

I don't quite get why the FAs think they, too, should be exempt from rigorous screening, since as far as I know, an FA isn't generally in a position to take the plane down.