Originally Posted by dgolding

Exempting cleared government (or contractor) staff from any sort of inspection is a poor idea. Not because it will make the skies more or less safe (TSA is probably neutral in that regard, post-911), but because it is important that government employees "enjoy" the exact same treatment as everyone else. Thats it - its simply about fairness. If cleared personel are exempt from some or all inspection, that would mean that senior TSA/DHS staff - all of whom are cleared - would also enjoy such an exemption. Thats a terrible idea. In industry, its called "eating your own dog food". Whatever you call it, it is doubly important when you are talking about government decision makers in a democracy.

The other issue is that terrorists are smart. If they know that cleared staff are exempt from certain screening, they will leverage that knowledge. Of course, this assumes that civil aviation is still a priority target for terrorists, a doubtful premise at this point time, considering the wide availability of much softer targets. These guys are not one-trick ponies.