Re: Lack of imagination when thinking up things that can go wrong.
"Soulless, emotionless, remorseless, unfeeling, unthinking drones" maybe. But that's being very, very polite about it.
Certainly abuses by the TSA are legion, and actual threats caught by them rather difficult to identify.1 Yes, they confiscate all manner of stupid dangerous crap from passengers, but we went for decades with people bringing that junk on planes without widespread disaster.
And while TSA personnel are not Federal officers or LEOs of any sort, many often act as if they are; and many have a penchant for getting local LEOs (particularly the petty-martinet sort which plagues the US police state) to do their dirty work for them.
But that said, I have to say that my experiences with the TSA at my local airport have been, I believe, universally pleasant. That's because I fly out of a small regional airport, where crowds and queues are almost nonexistent and folks are generally relaxed and in a good mood. I avoid flying out of hubs whenever possible - and when I do, I try go to a less-busy security checkpoint (like the Concourse E/F checkpoint at O'Hare). It makes a world of difference.
And, for what it's worth, when I have a good experience with the TSA, I do thank them. Nothing wrong with returning courtesy for courtesy, regardless of what I think of the institution.
1As documented by any number of sources. Schneier has a number of pieces on the subject. Kevin Underhill collects idiotic legal moves by the TSA in his delightful Lowering the Bar blog. And there are various more rigorous studies.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
