Not only is this highway robbery, but it also reveals the fundamental unsoundness of the TSA's airport screening philosophy.
Essentially, this program sends the following message: that a metal detector and commonsense analysis are sufficient for security purposes. If they didn't truly believe that, they wouldn't be offering it as an option. Clearly it's considered viable, and that fact alone negates the supposed necessity or benefit of the bodyscanners, the shoe-and-belt removal, the "enhanced" patdowns, and so forth.
The fundamental problem with the TSA's approach is that it's inherently reactionary and unstrategic. Terrorists try X, so let's design a countermeasure for X and subject everyone to it. Hey, now terrorists have tried Y instead of X. Let's build for Y! Terrorists are now trying Z, instead of X or Y? Crap, how'd they think of that? Better restrict Z, too. And on and on the game goes, with no rational end in sight.
Of course, the TSA counterargument here would be "...but 9/11 happened with the old system in place!!!11!" True. But, as we've seen, 9/11 was not a failure of screening technology. It was an analytical and personnel failure. If we're going to invest as heavily as we are in the TSA, then let's invest in selecting, training, and paying better people.
Essentially, this program sends the following message: that a metal detector and commonsense analysis are sufficient for security purposes. If they didn't truly believe that, they wouldn't be offering it as an option. Clearly it's considered viable, and that fact alone negates the supposed necessity or benefit of the bodyscanners, the shoe-and-belt removal, the "enhanced" patdowns, and so forth.
The fundamental problem with the TSA's approach is that it's inherently reactionary and unstrategic. Terrorists try X, so let's design a countermeasure for X and subject everyone to it. Hey, now terrorists have tried Y instead of X. Let's build for Y! Terrorists are now trying Z, instead of X or Y? Crap, how'd they think of that? Better restrict Z, too. And on and on the game goes, with no rational end in sight.
Of course, the TSA counterargument here would be "...but 9/11 happened with the old system in place!!!11!" True. But, as we've seen, 9/11 was not a failure of screening technology. It was an analytical and personnel failure. If we're going to invest as heavily as we are in the TSA, then let's invest in selecting, training, and paying better people.