I'm sorry, I forgot I was talking to an expert! You're absolutely right. In spite of the fact that the people on this board spend half their posting time complaining about how much time it takes to get through security, we should simply start thoroughly screening every single liquid that comes through the checkpoint to ensure that it's not liquid explosive. Who cares if you have to wait in line for 6 hours? Convenience over... convenience?? As for the ice axe, perhaps you forgot or maybe you just didn't know that exacto knives were the primary weapon used for 9/11 -- small weapons can be just as deadly as big ones.

You call it absurdity, but what I find absurd is the incessant complaining from a small number of people about legitimate security measures that are the entire reason they have the luxury to have their nose-in-the-air, complacent attitudes towards the whole process in the first place.