What I think is ironic is that some of our most secure places in this country don't look secure.
My wife has been in Federal Court for the past few days (nothing serious...although if the jury sides with her side, I might be able to buy that new Piper I've been eyeing), and you know that the court house is one of most secure buildings in the country. But you walk in, through security, and after that you don't see anyone else in the building. There are cameras everywhere, but that's no different than your average Wal-Mart. What's different, in my opinion, is who is on the other side of those cameras.
I'm sure they know who's in the building, in each Men's room at one time (no...I didn't see in cameras in the john, but then again you never know), and who's in the court room.
That place is completely secure, but nobody is giving me the 3rd degree, nobody is going through my pockets, and I can walk through the metal detector with my belt, watch, and glasses on, and I don't even have to take my shoes off.
So if a Federal Courthouse is that secure without being that intrusive, then why can't the same methods be applied to airports? Hmmm. I wonder. And for those of you who say: "Well you don't take luggage into a courthouse". I ask you this: You ever seen the stacks of suitcases, boxes, and, brief cases that an attorney brings with them every morning? I guarantee that on a typical day an attorney carries why more luggage than the average air traveler. But you don't see the Marshals digging through each box...they don't even put them through a bomb scanner.
The TSA is nothing but a dog and pony show. Personally I don't feel that airports are any more secure now than they were a year ago or even on 9/10/2001. All that's happened is that airports are the first place on the governments list of places where they can abridge our rights.
And if you look at things like the Patriot Act II you'll see that libraries are next. After libraries I suspect public (and maybe private schools will be next). God help us all.
Dismounting soapbox.
Naunga