I'm going to try to take a somewhat different position on this thread- because it's like so many other Internet threads I've read that have nothing to do with travel.
1. Taking this discussion to extremes, Godwinning, etc. helps NO ONE. Not the individual affected in the OP, NO ONE. Making statements in forums like this that "I think we can all agree......" are ridiculous. No, we can't all agree on the basis of a thread, at least I can't.
2. Anyone who thinks they have been abused and their rights have been violated should by all means pursue complaints and all other avenues of redress. That CANNOT be done on an Internet forum.
3. As far as our experience (we usually travel by air twice a year or so, and have for around 15 years), we've never seen, heard of, or had anyone in an airport mention any problem with security.
4. A while ago, I read a lengthy thread (not on Flyer Talk) about the alleged abuses of the TSA, and consulted with my brother about this. He has worked for the TSA (at a major airport which will not be named) since about a year after its inception. While he has heard some second or third-hand stories, neither he nor his wife (who also works for TSA in the same airport) has ever been involved in an incident where a passenger evidenced discomfort with the process, or complained about the process.
5. No system is perfect. The TSA was instantly brought into being post-9/11, and for very good reasons. I want them there, and I want them to do their job. They are still finding guns in people's carryons after 11 years, folks. Are there going to be abuses? Yes, and stating that these things shouldn't happen ignores that reality. Our system of law guarantees redress of grievances, and those abuses should be pursued by the persons affected. The rest of us can't do anything. A basic rule of our law system, since the year one, involves "standing to sue." If we personally have not been injured or affected, the court will simply rule that we have no "standing to sue." And the vast majority of people who have a legitimate complaint....never do anything about it. This guarantees the abuses will go unchecked. So- the OP should by all means pursue every avenue open to them. The rest of us should move on.