Originally Posted by
Upgraded!
While I'm sure a skilled forger (and let's be honest, a dedicated terrorist will enlist one) could easily circumvent this machine. However, I do actually see some value in the ID requirement so long as no-fly lists are properly maintained. Remember, in the days before kiosks, home-printed boarding passes and mobile boarding passes one had to show ID at the airport to get the BP in the first place. It'll never matter; the guys on Sept. 11th should have been on the NFL (given how quickly it was determined who had hijacked the planes) and without that, the ID check adds nothing.
I ran into one of these pieces of crap at a base once - even though I was traveling onto the base with an officer, the gate guard detained me and accused me of deserting the Marines (years before I was born). At least when the MPs showed up they tore the guard a new one and were falling over themselves to apologize.
I don't expect your average TSA minion to have enough of a brain to interpret any information that comes back. Nor will they have adequate supervision to ensure that innocent folks aren't abused.