Originally Posted by PatrickHenry1775

I think that the logic is because boxcutters were legal on 9/11, the important factor was the person carrying the legal object. Even today, bringing a sharpened #2 pencil on an airliner is legal. For you and me, that object is only a pencil. In the hands of a trained killer, that pencil is a deadly weapon. In college, G. Gordon Liddy gave a lecture during which he explained how a #2 pencil through the soft palate of the mouth can quickly kill someone. If dangerous people can be identified at checkpoints, screening can concentrate on them, rather than pat-down searches of grandmothers, young children, etc.

This reasoning is why the TSA approach of looking for pointy objects, shoes, etc. with screeners is so irrational. Invest in technology to improve the efficacy of this approach, but better yet concentrate on the people at the checkpoint if we are serious about security. Of course, all cargo loaded on airliners should also be screened, rather than just worrying about shoes and passengers' checked bags. Finally, ground personnel should be investigated and monitored more closely, since they have access to airplanes. Again, these suggestions presume that real security is the goal, rather than just a dog and pony show.