I was gonna warn R about how those references would surface, but I didn't want to steal anyone's thunder..
I'm pretty sure you don't know anything about Israel and their security protocols. What I know is that as a result of a lot of their security protocols, they have suicide bombings and rockets fired at civilians. I don't know about you, but I like not having to worry about that happening in my neighborhood.
I'm talking about having a little common sense in regard to airport security. A sixty year old three hundred pound lady in a wheelchair isn't worth the time to search. The twentytwo year old Arab looking man should be checked out a little. Profiling is something we all do. If you see three white dudes riding in the hood you know what they're up to. If you see a white man hanging around a store that sells young girls swimwear then you get that feeling that he's a perv and shouldn't be there. If you see a couple Arab looking young men hanging around an airport taking scouting the place then they need to be talked to. Common sense.
Common sense from a security standpoint is to expect an attack from anybody, anywhere, anytime. Focus on muslims and then the enemy will just use people in islamic garb as a distraction for Euro- or Afro-looking terrorists to slip by elsewhere. We are better off if the enemy has to deal with the possibility that the most innocent-looking overweight, middle-aged white lady may be scrutinized. Else, they will simply find someone to exploit the system. Chechen or Bosnian muslims are genetically identical to most Euro-Americans. You talk about the Israelis . . . those guys will search anyone and frequently do. They do it for the same reason that we do . . . to avoid repeatable patterns and to keep from creating an exploitable weakness.
I bet ten years ago you would have said, "Why are they taking box cutters away from people? Just use a little common sense." Worst-case scenario? How about inside a 5 year old? These people want to kill anyone, so do you think they'd blink at stuffing explosives in a body cavity of a child? Perhaps a length of detacord in the waistband?One scenario I have seen is sneaking a liquid explosive or flammable in baby bottles or sippie cups and detonating it near the wings with a short section of detonation cord. There are thousands of reason why a child should be considered "search-worthy" and just because you can't think of any, doesn't mean that someone else hasn't. Now is it likely? Well of course not, but the approach TSA takes is that "they" (terrorists) have to get it right just once. "We" (TSA) have to get it right every time. Consistency in the process is one big way they keep the holes in the net so small.
you are right I guess. I have to give it to you. You can't think of these people like they have any regard for human life. The claim to be the religion of peace and love but will not hesitate to kill small children and any innocent person is a soft target. One day they will cross a line in the sand and all hell will break out. The day is comming.