InkUnderNails,

You'll get no disagreement from me that opt-out is 100% an aggressive patdown, and, with some adjustment of clothing and luck, you can avoid a patdown with MMW+ATR. Even pre-ATR, I used the MMW twice at SFO. Once was to test it out, and the second time was because I was running late for a flight. I also understand there are those with implants and such for whom the WTMD would always alarm, but now they can get through with "dignity" and a green OK on the screen. (Of course, there used to be HHMD that TSOs could use to isolate the alarm to a replacement hip or knee, but that's another story...)

However, I generally see the MMW+ATR as being a way for the TSA to placate the masses while still being able to waste millions of taxpayer dollars. It also requires far more people to operate the MMW checkpoint setup than the historical WTMD checkpoint. There was a time when you would see only a single person behind the WTMD. Alarms would get sent to the glass penalty boxes to get resolved.

Now I see: A male and female TSO at the output side of the MMW machine, the TSO moat dragon on the front end directing everyone to the MMW and finally a TSO on the back end of the WTMD to make sure nobody sneaks through or to receive the few people going through the WTMD.