Trish - I know it's very painful to watch. I've seen it so many times and I always cringe. I've even asked "Is this really necessary?" and I get the blank stares. I know the TSA folks are following orders but someone is giving those orders. So, we can't profile because it might offend someone. Instead, let's inconvience and humiliate EVERYONE in hopes of catching someone. So far after screening millions of people, TSA hasn't found any terrorists that I am aware of.

I agree with Gerilynn. We need to use it properly in areas where it has the most effect.

Another rule I find silly is the 4oz rule. So, I can't bring more than 4 oz of liquid in a container and this container must fit within a 1 qt ziplock bag. A 5 oz tube of toothpaste that has approximately 1 oz left in it is confiscated because it breaks the rules. Yet, I can fill the entire 1 qt bag with 5+ bottles containing 4 oz of fluid each (all explosive..who knows) and that's okay.... So, now I have approx 25+ oz of liquid and that's okay. But, that 1 remaining oz of toothpaste (or deodorant) is suspicious and dangerous.....

Again, common sense rules don't apply......

#20 Please explain the differences. In regards to civil liberties.

"The people who hate us target all Americans- black, white, young and old- but just because they’re indiscriminate about going after us doesn’t mean we must be indiscriminate in going after them. We’ve been brainwashed into believing that it’s a sin to discriminate. But discrimination doesn’t mean racism; it means telling unlike things apart. Iowa grandpas and nine year old girls from Ohio are simply not looking to visit “a painful chastisement upon the Western infidels.” “Profiling” like “discrimination,” has become a bad word, even though all police work is based on it, as it must be. If we stopped calling it profiling and started calling it “proactive intelligence screening” or “high-alert detecting,” people would be saying: well it’s about time.

It would be good if we could get with the program. It would be better if we had one first.”

- Bill Maher

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Interesting take......I like Maher. Sometimes he's close, other times he's way off...but he's always good for a laugh

With proper training, personal searching can be done very politely and discretely. TSA could take some lessons from their Asian counterparts. In my experience in most of Asia, every person is search either by pat-down and/or wand as they go through security. Although it did not happen on my most recent trip, I have also experienced where every carry-on bag was hand searched either at security or at the gate prior to boarding. Unlike my experiences here in the USA, the searches were done in a manner that was efficient and discrete, causing minimal delay.

As to civil liberties, I do not believe that profiling is a violation of civil liberties. I also believe there is a big difference between a police officer detaining someone based on profiling alone and TSA selecting a person for more detailed security review based on profiling. By choosing to use public transit (flying) we choose to subject ourselves to the higher security check. As to police using profiling, they are still required to have "probable cause". Profiling would not give probable cause, but it should be used to help police to know who to watch so that probable cause could be found hopefully sooner rather than later.