Originally Posted by
OldGoat
If TSA didn't create concerns about a traveler's physical safety (freedom from unwanted physical contact), this would not be an issue. The TSA created this situation, and only they can change it.
The OP's question related to why anybody would say "no" and referred to the question as dumb. There are a number of reasons why someone would say "no" and that means the question isn't dumb.
Not a debate about anybody's personal views of the value of the checkpoint in the first place.