Doppy,

Whatever the terrorist attacks of 9/11 cost, that money is gone forever. We won't get any of it back by spending even more on generally pointless "security" at airports.

Taking away children's scissors isn't going to stop a repeat of 9/11. What will stop it is the change in passengers' and crews' attitude toward hijackers, along with one-time changes like reinforced cockpit doors -- the most reasonable security enhancement put into place since 9/11.

People just have to get over the idea that by throwing unlimited funds into "security," we will eventually become 100% safe from terrorist attacks. We will never be totally safe, and even if we could be, the cost would be so high that no sane person would agree to spend it.

Let's consider an analogy: Our roads would be much safer if we removed all intersections and replaced them with crossovers and cloverleafs, a la limited-access highways. So why don't we do that? After all, far more people are killed on roads EACH YEAR than in all the airplane accidents in history. The answer is obvious: the cost would be too high.

In my opinion, we have already gone beyond the point of reason with regard to air-travel security. Most of what we are doing today is just a useless drag on the economy. The longer we do it, the more damage that will be done. Ultimately, the terrorists will have won.

Bruce