Originally Posted by
chollie
...since we've all heard for years that the reason kids and oldsters aren't exempt is because 1) tewwowists have been widely known to use kids and grannies (examples, please?) and 2) if we exempt any specific demographic, that will send a signal to terrorists who will then focus on that demographic...
Maybe I'm missing something, but, if I'm a terrorist and I know that TSA isn't going to screen a child as closely as they will most adults, I'm going to exploit that. If I'm not bothered by blowing up a plane, why would I be bothered about using a child as a mule for explosives?
I'm not saying that TSA should be frisking and irradiating children, though! I'm just pointing out how absurd the security procedures are.
Reductio ad absurdum. To be in a situation where frisking and irradiating children is acceptable only demonstrates how ridiculous the U.S.'s approach to airport security is.
Another example of this absurdity is cavity searches. They aren't happening in airports now (or so I assume!), but the NoSs and WTMDs and patdowns aren't going to protect us from ingested explosives. How do we detect them then? Cavity searches, of course. That's absurd. Everyone knows it's absurd. But that's where the current approach is leading us.