Thanks, RichieLion.

The TSA was supposed to be something good - they were supposed to set standards. But, right form the get-go, they were watered down. You don't even have to have a high-school diploma to be a TSA agent.

They ARE theater. When I flew 3 months after 9/11, the airports were still staffed with the National Guard and I felt *safe*.

Are the TSA armed? No.

Have they broken any plots? No.

Are they trained in counter-terrorism? No.

I want the terrorists afraid to even show up at the airport. Having well-trained National Guard troops with automatic weapons at the ready does that.

Experiences like the one I had in Philly last year give me NO confidence. I went through security and proceeded to my gate. There, at the gate, we were told we were going to go through ANOTHER search. I asked why - was it because they didn't do their job at the security checkpoint? Mind you, I asked nicer than that but you get my point. The explanation? (I'm not making this up) "Please line up over there for the search".

So, either someone didn't do their job at the regular checkpoint (I know they did it when *I* went through) or this was just more Security Theater running checks on people who had already been checked.

There is NOTHING the TSA does that would thwart an attack like what happened in Glasgow (flaming car driven into a terminal) or Moscow (bomber self-detonating in the terminal). If anything, they've made it WORSE because NOW the target can be the SEVERAL planeloads of people lining up at security for those extended checks. Strap on a hot one and detonate yourself in the security line - THAT is something I've been concerned about for a while and THAT is why I want Tel-Aviv-like security or National Guard troops in the airport.

After reading DJ's answer, I had a thought.

Your reasoning is that an airline terrorist plot hasn't been carried out on an airline since the inception of the TSA and thus proves the TSA's indispensable value.

(even though they have not thwarted an actual plot of any kind, either)

I just realized my own valuable contribution. Each day I go out and get my newspaper, or to talk to my neighbors, or just to get some sun and air.

Each time I do, I assess the situation in an effort to notice anything amiss that might be a danger to my neighborhood. I've been very diligent for almost 3 years now. No terrorist or criminal activity has been evident during all this time of my continued vigilance.

This gives me a 100% success rate in "preventing" terrorist and criminal activity in my neighborhood by the standards you mention.

I am very proud.

Richie: That's the difference between making an observation and establishing a causal link.

I was all in favor of the TSA - which was supposed to set high standards - when it was proposed. As soon as public unions complained about the initial requirement for a HS diploma or GED - and the government *caved* - I knew this was not going to help.

I had an opportunity to experience airport security in London, Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam since 2010 and it's a lot smoother there than it is here. I felt plenty safe. In Amsterdam, we went through scanners that did NOT show faux-nude images of you - just an outline with a 'dot' or 'x' where it detected certain things, superimposed on a generic outline of a human form - and it was all in public view so that there was no question about hassling someone for no reason.

This country seems to have been overrun with something I see in the business world that depresses me - a case of "Not Invented Here Syndrome" - if we didn't invent it, it can't be good. We can't look elsewhere to see what works because we're Americans and nothing else on the planet could possible be better than what we have here.

I absolutely agree, which is why I've often wondered, and questioned on this forum, why trying to implement some kind of system like they do in Israel where they actually have a record of preventing problems, and is far less intrusive and invasive as our methods, is a non-starter here in the U.S.

I know I'll hear many opinions on why it can't be duplicated here, but it's never been tried and so I can't abide it.

Think of all the government programs like this:

Government spend money it does not have, good thing.......

Government save money, bad thing..........