There is no evidence that the TSA, with its massive bureaucracy and out of control cost mis-management, provides even a shred of improved security over the private screeners of pre-9/11.

Tests run against the TSA have shown that guns, knives, bombs and other planted prohibited items continue to be missed - all it takes is one determined individual to get past the checkpoint just once to wreck havoc, and it does not appear the TSA has a better chance of catching them than Globe Security (or other contractors) would. The 'no-fly' list, the silly SSSS system or any of the other "behind closed doors" procedures the TSA manages can easily be circumvented and only make travel that much more frustrating.

"Improved" security offered by the TSA is an illusion. The attacks of 9/11 had absolutely nothing to do with airport screening. The terrorists were able to do what they did because of outdated guidelines that said "do not resist - cooperate". If box-cutters were banned back then, they would have found something else to bring onboard, or perhaps they could have taken bottles into the lavs, broke them and used the glass as a weapon - avoiding the checkpoint issue altogether.

The TSA's groping, poking, and confiscation of toenail clippers will not make us safer. People need to understand something - this is very important - there is absolutely nothing - nothing that the government can do to make air travel or life itself perfectly safe from a terrorist attack. No matter what the government does, no matter how far they go, no matter what laws or repulsive rules they pass, they will never, ever make our nation attack-proof. If terrorists want to attack and do harm, they will. Period. The problem is we have a society that cannot wrap their minds around that concept. They are constantly being fed information that reinforces their fears and phobias while being shown demonstrations of security designed to teach them our new processes will make them safer. I have said before that you could ban all luggage and force passengers to fly nude and guarantee there won't be a hijacking or bomb, but you can do nothing about the terrorist hiding in the bushes firing a missile at the plane full of naked people as it takes off.

Our Nation has a habit of fueling unity and patriotism based on a common fear of a bogeyman. It started out with the British, then Spain, then Germany, then the Soviet Union, then the Colombian Drug Lord and now the terrorist. At each step, the government relies on our feelings of fear and vulnerability to push the agenda of the day. While we complain about the Patriot Act and other freedom and privacy busting initiatives from the current government, we should remember the not so distant past under a Democratic administration, when the fear of the Drug Lord bogeyman ushered in the age of private asset confiscation, RICO laws, and the early stages of the dismantling of the 4th Amendment. No politician screamed loud enough back then for fear of being labeled a drug supporter, and few will scream too loud now for fear of being labeled unpatriotic.

Don't get me wrong - I am all for airport screening. I do not want another passenger on board with a gun, bomb, chemical agent, or anything else that can do me harm - I am just stating that the TSA and it's processes have not demonstrated any increased effectiveness, or that its existence has any chance of improving my safety over what it was on 9/10. I also accept that the government will never be able to guarantee my safety, and I accept that the price paid for living in an open and free society is the assumption of some personal risk. Since the government cannot absolutely take away the risk, I would prefer they do not take away my open and free society.