Originally Posted by WillCAD

In the unlikely event that TSA ever makes a statement justifying these new harassments, I'm sure the excuses will be that a) there was a credible threat that Bad Guys (tm) were planning on sending bombs in laptops from the Middle East (hence the useless change in domestic electronic device procedures); b) since it is now impossible for the Bad Guys (tm) to smuggle explosives in electronic devices, they are probably looking for other ways to get explosives aboard planes, such as disguising them as granola bars, Snickers, peanuts, and other food items, c) books are a solid mass on the x-ray that looks like C4, so all books must now be checked, and d) all paper must be checked for the infamous Sheet Explosives that have been used to such devastating effect in the imaginations of movie writers everywhere.

Frankly, I think it's pretty obvious that the best way to get C4 on a plane is to label it "C4 HIGH EXPLOSIVE" in big letters, shove it into a duffel with some Christmas presents and a smoke grenade, and present a US military ID card at the checkpoint. You could get a nuke on the plane using that technique.