I'm afraid the OP, in spite of his/her references to past decades, still has an adolescent frame of mind, as apparently he/she still believes in Captain America, SuperMan and others unfallible, uncorruptible, protectors of american virtue.

For people like the OP, it is a shame that the TSA isn't more like an idealised "League of Super Heroes", able to shield and protect America from the dangers of the barbarics from inside and outside.

The existence of an agency like the TSA, with the theatrical treatment of security it offers (as security for the minds of the public, vs security against real threats) is, once again, proof of how easy politicians can manipulate public opinion (and how eager they are to do it).