Do I think the TSA needs to be in place? Hell yes. Any airport needs that kind of security check before people get on planes. However, the blatantly humiliating "secondary screening" is unnecessary and does NOTHING to prevent someone with ill-will to step onto a plane.
Last December, I was patted down (fine), put through the new x-ray machines (fine), had my carry-on searched and x-rayed (fine) and IMO that is ALL people should be subjected to. However on top of that, I was required to have a TSA agent with me at ALL times during my time in the airport, including going through security, walking to my gate and waiting at my gate for my flight to board. I couldn't even go to the washroom without a TSA agent waiting at the door. I was also taken to a back room where I was interrogated for half an hour about all details of my life and background, and was forced to pull open my luggage and take it all out onto a table, piece by piece, in front of a large crowd. And to make the experience even more amazing, I got sexually harassed by an agent on my way to my second xray/patdown.
I'm sorry, but did any of that selective screening prevent someone on my flight from blowing up my plane? Nope. Sure they made sure I didn't blow up the plane, but the rest of the passengers on my flight didn't have to be subjected to an ounce of the humiliating treatment that I had to deal with. The random secondary screening is bullshit and does nothing. If they truly believe that it does prevent anything, then enforce it on every single passenger instead of subjecting it to one or two unlucky passengers per flight. Not that most of it was necessary. If their millions of dollars spent on X-ray machines can't pick up a bomb hiding in my snatch, then wtf is pulling my luggage out/interrogating me/talking dirty to me going to do?
Sorry, but the TSA has done nothing but instill fear in me to fly to the US. I have to fly next month and I am dreading it more than you know. I'm not afraid in the slightest of a terrorist - I'm afraid of those who claim to be fighting terrorism...isn't that sad? (and for the record, I get why Americans are afraid, I emptathize with you re: 9/11. I get why security is in place. I just believe that it doesn't have to go as far is it has gone. Terrorism is scary and very real but I have a higher chance of being on a flight with a drunk pilot than I do being on a flight with a terrorist - I'd rather take my chances and not have to deal with what I went through again)
