Clearly we're not putting two and two together here. The real threat is shoe polish.

Amazing what we'll give up for the illusion of safety. I have heard that Penn Jilette has a little Bill of Rights cards that he had imprinted on a metal sheet.

So when he sets off the detectors, he has to turn over his bill of rights.

Gotta give him style points.

Saying the "TSA is a farce and should be abolished." is not particularly helpful in solving the problem. The TSA performs a valuable service for the travelers of this country, and while particular agents don't always do their job well, blanketing a whole organization tasked with keeping airports safe as 'a farce' doesn't seem right.

Granted, there are things on an organizational level they could do better, and I'm sure their training and technology could be improved, but I'm unwilling to see them as 'a farce' or unnecessary.

I just got back from Israel and I have to say they know how to run airports. They have regular sweeps of the bathrooms for anything out of the ordinary, probably more thorough than the jail cell sweeps in the US. They have 16+ security lanes for metal detector/x-ray machines so that at any time there are never more than 4 people at each lane. Your shoes stay on, they don't care about liquids they care about keeping the place safe and they know that both the shoes and the liquids do little except inconvenience people and hold up lines. we should take a page from their book and learn how to run a secure airport.

@Aeroracere: No, it is a farce. Time and again, TSA fails their spot-checks. The real threats are ignored.

Example:
Fake bomb eludes airport test
Albany facility's security measures fail in 5 of 7 trials, mostly at the passenger checkpoint
[timesunion.com]

Passengers are hassled to give the appearance of security and safety. It is a crock.

Wow so much to reply to here.

@CreativeLinks: Give me a break. I'm 'handing over my bill of rights' every time I go through a metal detector? How high-school-melodramatic that is.

@Aeroracere: Agreed. If I were a terrorist, I would just hold off on making any shoe/liquid bombs until they stopped checking for those things.

@visualbowler: I also agree with you that the Israelis have a pretty stringent system. However, unless you like to be racially profiled (yes, if you look middle easter, you WILL be questioned), then I suggest we not look to them for guidance.

No, they're a farce. Otherwise, they'd crack heads to stop the security kabuki and deal with real threats: cargo, contractors and cutting their budget by half (deficits a larger national threat than 1,000,000 sippy cups).

They don't, they know they're ineffectual and unanswerable, so yes, they're a farce and must be abolished.

Well, to paraphrase Friedrich Nietzsche, the secret to reaping the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously. I say we get rid of security lines once and for all. :)

The TSA is an absolute farce. Just because they are tasked with something, doesn't mean they actually get that job done. In fact, the security checks Americans go through are almost worthless.

Then again, most airlines in America are a total joke, that can't even turn a profit. Why would we expect forward thinking and ingenuity from the government agency involved in the industry.

What further pisses me off about this entire situation is that nothing will ever be done because all the brain-dead policies are implemented under the guise of "national security."

Watch this video recently?

I agree with you. They've failed at about the same rate since Septemeber 11th, so how do they make us safer? They don't. The fact still remains that effective attacks are innovative and not greatly anticipated, so further scrutiny does little to stop them.

I think you it's fair to say that part of the trouble airlines are having with being profitable is that it's such a pain in the butt to go through security to use them.

I'm sure there have been people saying "Let's just drive, I can bring my toothpaste and feed my baby easier that way" due to security restrictions

I can't wait until a terrorist figures out how to hijack a plane using only carry on luggage, the clothes off their backs, and a baby!

Politicians are all caught up in giving us the appearance of security rather than real security. That's what the TSA airport crap is all about.

The last comment about baby formula worried me, so I checked it out. At least according to the TSA's web site - baby formula, breast milk and juice is allowed, in quantities greater than 3 oz. Same goes for jarred baby food. I think I'll print out this page and bring it with me next time I fly with my baby. [www.tsa.gov]

@bambino: I believe that the Israelis profile passengers on their behavior. Israeli born Israeli's and Arabs tend to look similar so profiling based on appearance (i.e. looking Middle Eastern) is worthless to them.

@LordBeef: The problem isn't with a lack of people flying. Passengers are flying now more than ever before. The problem is poor innovation and business models.

The problem is the bs rules they pick to enforce. The TSA is a joke. If you want to get "dangerous objects" on a plane, you will find a way. Easy to slip through while the morons in uniform are hassling some 80 year old about their shoes or the 3 1/2 ounces of shampoo they have forgot to put in a clear plastic bag.
And SFTU about the 'liquid explosive' bullshit.

@Aeroracere:
The TSA treats attackers like mice to be trapped. If you have seen a mouse in your cupboard (or an attacker has tried a shoe bomb) you place the mousetrap in the cupboard (or you force people to take off their shoes). The difference here is that a mouse's behavior is predictable (that's why you put the trap in the cupboard), and the mouse community doesn't learn from its mistakes. People who want to take down an airplane are often more inventive than mice, and their comrades aren't prone to trying the same thing twice.

The TSA DOES NOT provide a valuable service to travelers of any country, and it DOES NOT make anyone safer. At best, it provides an illusion of security for idiots. At worst, it is an encroachment on civil liberties.

We are no safer now than we were on September 10, 2001. We have just as many enemies now, if not more. The most dangerous weapon that our enemies have is not shoes, liquids, box cutters, or dirty bombs. It's their ingenuity and their determination.

@CreativeLinks:
Get your own copy:
[www.securityedition.com]

"Evil-doers" are nothing if not inventive, cunning, and clever. Could anyone have imagined the plot that went down on 9-11? No. They worked within the rules and exploited the system. Now we have more rules and a slightly tighter system, but there will always be loopholes. That's the beauty of freedom: you're free to take a flight with a bottle of water or some explosive the little machine can't detect strapped to your chest. There's nothing TSA can really do to stop something no one's ever thought of.

@LionelEHutz: I'm fully aware of the similarities. I was speaking to the middle-eastern population in the US.

The real "news" and travesty of this piece is the piece itself. Shame on NBC for this fluff piece where it essentially becomes a mouthpiece for TSA propaganda.

How is enforcing a 3oz ban making us safer? If 4oz can blow up a plane, two passengers meeting on board are good to go.

NBC should have had the balls to do a real investigative piece about how all these "rules" are not making us safer but are just providing an illusion of safety. You've got the spokesperson for the TSA right there - ask her some hard questions! I'm ashamed of NBC.

Farce! The TSA regularly fails to find mock explosives during internal 'secret inspector' tests.

In a recent test at Albany International the screeners confiscated a water bottle but missed the bomb in the very same carry on.

You wonder if PERHAPS THEIR PRIORITIES ARE A LITTLE OFF?

I took a government class in college titled "Suicide Terrorism" that was taught by an Israeli National (at the University of Texas at Austin). He always talked about the way security was performed in Israel and how ignorant our efforts could be at times.

One such story was when he went through airport security coming back into the US from Israel. The 80 year old woman in front of him and the 8 year old girl behind him were both subjected to an extra search. Meanwhile, he walked right through.

Is racial profiling fair, of course not. But if the majority of the problems are caused by one set of people, be them white, black, green or blue (got to watch those blue ones), shouldn't that group of people be more closely watched. At the risk of pissing someone off and being called a racist, you wouldn't search a black man for evidence that he participated in a KKK lynching of another black man (a very simple comparison to a very complex issue, so it doesn't cover everything).

Professor Pedhazur said he should be searched every time he goes to an airport strictly because of his last name. He had no problems with this because he knew it had a chance of giving some sort of protection to the greater good.

Take it for what it is worth, but it seems reasonable. Please commence calling me Unamerican and a Communist (don't forget racist too).

I think that the TSA is an important organization to have. Their purpose is a good one. However, at the moment, they are focusing on the wrong things. The things they are presently searching for are so specific that plots would have to occur in very specific ways to make protecting against them make any difference. TSA is focusing on threats, not risks. Threats are very specific and numerous, i.e. >3oz Liquid, shoe bombs, etc. Risk is calculated by taking into account things like the likelihood of a threat being exploited as well as how important the asset is that the threat is to. Israel is taking a Risk-Based approach to Airport Security. In their case, this means remaining vigilant to suspicious activity. Bruce Schneier www.bruceschneier.com, a well known Security Expert, calls these ultra-specific threats Movie-plot threats. In order for them to be exploited, everything would have to happen in such a specific way that the threat exploitation is actually highly inprobable.

@GETJUSTIN
Look-up the pilot episode of "The Lone Gunmen," an X-files spin-off.

@cnc1019:
I'm going to assume your race here, but if I'm incorrect, I apologize, and I'll try to find another analogy if this one doesn't fit.

Assuming that you're white like me, wouldn't you think it was bullshit if everyone assumed you were a part of the KKK? Let's say a black family in your neighborhood had their house spray-painted with racist slurs. How would you feel when the police came and knocked on your door, wanting to search your place for spraypaint, just because you're white- and the majority of the people who commit racist vandalism are white?

It's the typical Bush administration response to anything. Spend a lot of money to make a program that makes people "feel" that there might be better security, but screw it up so badly that people just get ticked off.

"It's a complete waste of time while any would-be terrorists are busy devising plots that involve neither shoe-bombs nor exploding shampoo bottles. The TSA is a farce and should be abolished."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

The purpose of the TSA isn't to protect you from terrorism - they regularly fail checks where (our) people try to smuggle bombs and guns and other Bad Things through and succeed just fine. The classic case is of course where the TSA goon missed the bomb, but pounced on the dangerous water bottle right next to it.

The TSA is there to a) make you feel scared, and b) make you feel like they're doing something about it.

What is wrong with racially profiling people as they go through the airport? "Oh no it's not politically correct" If you take a statistical probability matrix and apply it across the races you could speed up going through security for the majority.

@zero_o:
It's "Liberty and Justice For All" not "Liberty and Justice for Most."

It's not about political correctness, it's about basic civil rights and constitutional protection.

Those terrorist babies.. We need to find a way to cryogenically freeze them so they can be safely transported on flights.

There's a comedian who jokes about the fact that there was one foiled shoe bomb plot, and now we all need our shoes examined. He is hoping someone tries a bra bomb plot. It would make the wait in line more entertaining.

But his point (as well as the points of many posters here) is valid. Checking shoes and limiting liquids because of one attempt is ridiculous. It's closing the barn door after the horses escape, to provide the illusion of safety. Soon, there will be more plots discovered, and we'll not be allowed to bring in plastics (plastic explosives and plastic GLOCK guns), fold-up umbrellas (the metal could be sharpened), violins (the strings can be used as garrotes)...I could go on. When does it stop?

And I love the comment about multiple terrorists each bringing on their 3 ounces, and combining them. This alone proves the futility of their policies.

@Murph1908:

Someone on flyertalk.com has the sig:

Every time I go through security, I thank God that Richard Reid isn't known as the underwear bomber.

The 3oz thing is just silly -- you can bring on multiple 3oz containers of the same thing. How is bringing on 6 3oz containers of shampoo somehow safer than bringing one 18oz bottle? Nevermind the fact that liquid explosives do not exist, and to the extent that liquids can be dangerous, it would take four people many hours in a lavatory -- with an ice bath! -- to do anything nefarious.

The TSA is all about security theater. Heck, that may even discourage some stupid would-be terrorists. Of course, it does nothing at all against the smart, organized bad guys. And, wow, those are the ones we should be worried about.

@zero_o:

Regarding 'What is wrong with racially profiling people as they go through the airport?'

All it takes is one person who doesn't fit the profile. A terrorist organization need only find one white person who hates the US. Or perhaps they sneak a bag inside granny's luggage, unbeknownst to granny.

Schneier recommends behavioral profiling. Thats what they do in Israel. They ask you tough questions, see how you act on your feet. See if your behaving strangely.

[www.schneier.com]

@cnc1019:

ITA. Until Al Quaida starts massively recruiting Midwestern grandmas and little kids, quit wasting time searching the wrong people. It's political correctness run amok.

A while back I went through DIA. The person in front of me had his unopened 12 oz bottle of Pepsi confiscated from him. He and I both happened to head right to the convenience store about 20 yards away from the security checkpoint.

He bought the exact same bottle of soda.

I took camera phone photos of a bottle of 3-alarm hot sauce and plastic spray bottle being sold in the store.

I found it amusing I can't drink the same bottle of soda but for 6 dollars I can make my own bottle of mace and not have to worry about being searched.

@Steel_Pelican: I am white and I would find that search to be rediculous for one reason: many people have spray paint, just because I had some wouldn't prove anything. But ignoring that, I honestly wouldn't have a problem with it. As long as the cops show curtesy towards my belongs and do not intentionally break anything, they can search all they want (unless they are searching for my supply of mp3s in connection to terrorism). I have nothing to hide but because people similar to me might be hiding something, I'm willing to be inconvenienced for the greater good.

I've been searched trying to get into a professional baseball game before. It didn't bother me because I knew I had left my pocket knife in the car on the way in. What did bother me was that I saw people handing their knives to their wives to put in their purse so that it wouldn't be found. Yes the purses were being searched, if you call having you hold it open and they just look down into it without moving it around or opening any of the extra pockets.

Warning: the following is a comment that might inflame others. Would we have the same opinion of "racial profiling" if it was called "prior history profiling"? (as a side note, I personally believe that white people should also be subjected to racial profiling since one of the largest terrorist attacks in the US was perpetrated by a white male in Oklahoma)

@bambino: the Israelis question *everyone*. My spouse and I are caucasian, "ordinary"-looking American tourist types, and we get the same basic treatment as anyone else--a lengthy series of questions about our plans, our reasons for visiting, how much Hebrew we speak, etc etc etc etc. On one trip, we spent about 15 minutes answering questions and having our luggage searched when re-entering Israel from Jordan, even though everyone else in line--primarily Arab--cleared quickly. I suppose that we just didn't fit the usual tourist profile (travelling outside of a group tour, perhaps).

As others have said, the Israelis are looking for behavioral clues. It's very effective. It's also very time-consuming and expensive. Guess why we don't have something similar implemented in the US.

@urban_ninjya:

Those terrorist babies.. We need to find a way to cryogenically freeze them so they can be safely transported on flights.

Don't give them any ideas. Pretty soon people on planes will travel like cargo, each in their own little bombproof, exitless pod. You will load into your pod before the flight and they will only let you exit after they've landed at your destination.

I did a backpacking trip into Israel a few years ago. Apparently I fit their "suspicious" profile (I'm a Italian/German Goy) and I must admit it was somewhat humiliating to dump my entire suitcase into a big bin and watch while teenage girls fingered through my dirty laundry and boxer shorts. UGH.

As much as that experience sucked, I felt much more secure flying out of Israel than I do flying anywhere within the USA. I always pack little bottles of toothpaste and skin lotion into my computer bag and the TSA drones never EVER do a secondary screening of my bag or confiscate the bottles.

Bad guys who want to bring down a plane can do anything from sneaking a bomb onto the plane via cargo (i.e. all airlines transport cargo beyond the passenger's luggage; I don't believe these packages are aggressively screened), or shoot one down via a shoulder fired missile, etc. The passenger isn't a real threat anymore (and any random crazy person spewing hijack or bomb threats will get tackled by fellow passengers).

The TSA only exists to push government authority and crush liberty while stomping on the little guys (err, passenger). Think that's bad? Wait 'til the "naked x-rays" get deployed to all the airports.

@ WV.HILLBILLY

Neat-O! Thanks!

Going after shoes and water bottles only leads to distraction for TSA employees. They're trying to turn airport security into something that has assembly line logic, and assembly line procedures. They need to pay these people more, train these people more, and get people with higher educations.

If you want real airport security you're gonna have to pay for it. Airport security cannot be run as a commodity. That's the problem the US has right now.

I was going to read the posts in this thread, but I know what they are going to say, so I'm going to save those minutes of my life to do something important, like trim my toenails.

A few points, however (without having watched the video to save time for toe hygene as previously mentioned):

You mean Today actually interviewed people in a long line and they DIDN'T like it? Holy crap! Stop the frgiin' presses. Talk about the no shit moment of the year! Who produced this, Captain Obvious? Maybe next they'll place porn on a computer and give it to PC repair shops in the hopes of exposing the little-known fact that computer geeks like free porn. Oh. Wait. They got scooped on that.

Bottom line people - Flying is not a necessity or your God (or god) given right. if you don't like the TSA for being incompetent or draconian, just don't F'n fly and shut the hell up about it already.

TSA is a JOKE. It's completely ridiculous that the 99.99% of people traveling on a plane just to get to the destination on the ticket in their hand are treated like threatening criminals. I have gotten through airport security with more than 3 oz. of liquids and mace. Total joke.

The TSA was created to give the majority of air travelers a greater sense of security after 9/11, however false that sense may be. If it weren't for the TSA we'd have fewer air travelers, more bankrupt airlines, and higher airfares. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're saving you money.

People arn't allowed to bring baby formula?
And then people complain when babies cry?
Oh yeah that's great!
And don't say a woman could breast feed. We all know America hates boobs in public more than terrorists, hangnails and crying babbies combined.

They should have kept the security private and held them to the higher standard.

Has the government ever created an entity that was more efficient than the one it replaced?