Ok, so I saw the guys mouth move, and I heard words come out...but he didn't say one darn thing. We needed HIM to tell us there was "a problem"?

The problem started when the TSA, and those who authorized them to conduct these unreasonable searches, started using the Fourth Amendment for toilet paper.

Somehow we seem to have completely forgotten also that "having a gun" is not the problem. The problem is having the INTENT to use the gun. In other words: it's much more effective to find the terrorist than it is to find the bomb.

Great point, GHarkness, on intent. It's what I've said before, about the Israelis looking for terrorists, not tweezers.

I think the TSA's strategy now if to make air travel such a chore that everyone will stop flying EXCEPT the terrorists. Then they can just arrest them all and be done with it.

Sooooooo...Those people who were all gung ho and defending the TSA in the name of "safety"...

Feel safer yet?

I've just spent 4 hours trying to find a ticket for less than $1000 for DH to fly home for the weekend. I know there are empty seats, you'd think they'd take what they can get for them 4 hours before the flight. But, I think I may be glad now that we aren't giving them any money after all. I"m just going to go sign up for skype now.

We should be issuing Mace, pepper spray, guns and tasers at the checkpoints.

You need to turn them in on landing.

I will give a 1 to 100 bet on the number hijackings/terrorist actions would occur.

An armed society is a polite society.

9 year old wanded by TSA at the Savannah train station... AFTER THEY GOT OFF THE TRAIN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1B3AubsTBo

Damn women are laughing there too.

@Jim P.
Even the IDEA of an armed society makes people more polite.
A friend, on returning from the UK, said that a few mentioned, in light of her being American, that most people across the pond believe us Americans to be "gun-toting nut-jobs." (Her words, not necessarily those of the Brits.)

However, she clarified, every person who commented as such, also commented that they would feel safer visiting here than they expected her to feel visiting there. They really believe that our obsession with firearms keeps us, in general, safer than nations with severely restricted firearm rights.

Personally, I'd be against issuing a weapon to every passenger. Better to have the flight staff trained, and carrying weapons (mace, and tasers, if they're uncomfortable with firearms) where the chance of misinterpretation and misuse, even of just mace, would be reduced.
The only way someone could take control of a plane (or train, or car, or bus) is by having a weapon that lends them power over the other passengers. Take away the power by having others on board with those same, or better, weapons, and there's no need for "safety" checks. Especially not the kind that wind up failing.

Even the IDEA of an armed society makes people more polite.

I attend the local renaissance festival yearly. The last four years in costume. Many attendees are carrying swords or other weapons of mayhem. They are all "peace tied" but that is about three seconds, at worst.

I went armed with my gf one year. (I needed to get some adjustments done because the hand guard was loose.) She was sort of freaking that I was walking around carrying a pair of swords.

Last year, my favorite sword vendor let me do some of the demos, with my personal sword they had sold me to show durability. That was fun!!

Everyone attends the fest from 3 months to 103. You see everything from the Geico Caveman to the Trekkies. You have bikers, middle class, to the rennies at the fest.

They also sell alcohol (beer and wine) to legal age.

I have been attending the fair on and off for sixteen years. I have as yet to hear of any attendees drawing weapons on each other. I'm sure that more than one person has been escorted out; but that is a rare occasion. I know enough of the regular staff to hear about the big stuff.

About 40% of the crowd is armed -- no one has died -- or even been pierced since the fest started 22 years ago.

But of course that is because we had the TSA there to check up on us and wand us.