Every time I fly, my checked baggage is xrayed, and usually hand checked. Every time I clear security, I go through the metal detectors twice, am wanded, do the shoes, have my hand luggage x-rayed, checked by hand, my pockets emptied.

Every time, without exception.

It takes, on average, five minutes for me to clear security. I can check in 30 minutes before a flight, with luggage, and have no problems. I have always been treated with total professionalism and respect.

Clearly, I'm not dealing with the TSA.

I'm in Korea. In the US, the problem isn't searches, but the personnel conducting them. It is possible to do genuine security, including searching your frequent flyers, quickly, carefully, and without making anyone angry.

But this would require that someone actually think about what security requires. The great pointy object search does nothing, if I know that bags are not being matched. No one seems to understand why the hijackers used box knives: they did it because box knives were legal. Making them illegal doesn't solve the problem: if they were smart enough to go for box knives last time, they'll be smart enough to go for something different this time.

"Clear, probable cause" will never be seen. If I'm willing to die for a cause, I'm likely to be willing to act perfectly normal, to travel the same route every week until people become careless, to become a "trusted traveler" until no one has probable cause to search me.

Random searches have their place, but they can be conducted without threats, lies, or intimidation. I have no problem with security, if I think it would actually stop a hijacker.

I don't think the TSA could stop anyone intelligent enough to be truly dangerous. The only people hijacking planes with pointy objects now are the crazies, and they are probably easy enough to stop.

(Now, if only the Korean government was as worried about airline safety as airline security!)