Here's a suggested solution I heard on the radio yesterday:

A bomb-proof room, big enough for one person plus whatever luggage they are bringing. Each passenger enters the room, the door is closed, and an electronic signal is sent to trigger any explosives they might have in, on, or around their body. K-BOOM

Voice over the intercom. "Hey Bob we got another one. Send someone up with the Shop-Vac"

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Harmony happens whenever different parts get to form a whole by means of congruity, concord, symetry, consistency, conformity, correspondence, agreement, accord, unity, consonance…….

HA! love it

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You make something idiotproof, they'll make a better idiot

You think professional is expensive, just wait until you pay for amateur.

Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.

Examine what is said, not who speaks.

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RIP 4.6is.....

2003 4.6is

I object to the government taking away my freedoms FOR NO GOOD REASON!

These scans and searches are simply a charade. Place a1/2kg of plastique in the rectum, remove in the lavatory, assembly with an igniter that one of three associates have incorporated into a laptop battery or other widget...done.

TSA and Law enforcement are going after anything and everything people seek to keep private- not just explosives.

I fly 100-150k a year- air miles, not points.

Just this week, I just arrived in DFW from SMF on monday, sitting in the admirals club at DFW and found I had a leaterman in my computer bag... whoops...4 knives, a saw, pliers, etc. Hmm. Crack security missed it. Shocker, eh? So went on to Indy and mailed it home...

Then leaving Indy, I get selected for a scan. Only because I happened to be standing there when the scanner had room. I declined ang got the pat down. Not the first time, I was flying internationallly 8 days after 911 and then 2-3 times a motnh for those next two years- and it was part of many countries processes.

So why did I decline the scan? I object to being a willing participant to a pointless, ill-founded, and ineffective process. That process is called TSA. It is also a corrupt and misguided management that is dumping billions into 'technology' instead of 'intelligence'.

These morons are scanning pilots. Think about it. These are the guys on the other side of the locked cabin door, but TSA is so stupid it has taken weeks to figure this out...

And I've flown El Al several times over the last 25 years- so I've had an upclose and personal view of how it is done right.

A

Wow...now that's a creative method, Quicksilver. A real deterrent, it will at least solve the body cavity method that Ard brings up. And not surprised at all that TSA missed your leatherman tool kit. Israel's proven security teams rejected these machines and seem puzzled by the groping methods.

IMO, the only effective poll is one that's done on passengers who have actually been groped or right after they've been felt up. I'm quite positive that few to none would be ok with it.

I've witnessed a few people go through the scans and still get felt up. One in particular that really upset me, was an elderly woman. Judging alone, by the look on her face during her groping...i'd be really surprised if she flew again anytime soon. I couldn't help but imagine that being my dear grandmother.

Thought this article was pretty good.

Airlines watch as some passengers protest security *| ajc.com

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Profeshenal spellar

Yeah, that would be a very unbiased/accurate poll, Chilli.

That is like asking an X5 owners who's car just left them stranded on the highway if they feel it is a reliable vehicle.

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Profeshenal spellar

MD - I'm in agreement with you on this (like other things too :-) ) and think something different can and should be done.

I've given this some thought and have come to the conclusion that the Israelis have the right approach. They do proper analysis gathering and make that information available to the airport personnel so intelligent or informed decisions can be made.

If you are a person of this origin, or have recently come from this country, or have a name like this or that is on a particular portion of the overall list you will get interviewed or screened and then additional searches are done as necessary. The entire population of travelers still goes through security screening but not everyone has to go through the same process. Everyone gets there with enough time to be processed, so the analysis can be included in the decision making.

With the excellent track record they have, especially with all the extremists who want nothing more than to kill as many Jewish Israelis as possible they have covered this ground decades ago.

Because profiling is so un PC here, we are more likely to allow a person who objects to being x-rayed or a pat down based on religious convictions to be given an exception. Janet Napolitano our Homeland Security Cabinet Member has said that exceptions are granted in some cases due to this. Unbelievable unto itself actually.

Let's re-think the problem and not go off with a host of un-necessary things that are felt to avoid profiling as possible but are not effective or efficient or just ham-handed gov't procedures.

Bottom line is we can't let someone bring weapons/bombs/etc. onto a plane. But that doesn't mean we can't be smart about this, take others best practices and apologize to those who don't like being profiled for safety reasons.

X5rolls...i believe the Israeli system isn't based on situational or racial profiling, but behavioral profiling. It seems everyone receives this method in the same manner. The major difference, aside from it's effectiveness, is that the agents seem well trained and prepared. I've heard that many of them are former military and intelligence members.

Couldn't agree with you more though...do you fly often or rarely?

Interesting blog by a pilot, a colleague just sent me:
Blogging at FL250: Security Silliness

Standing in the checkin line at El Al a guy will come up and ask you questions. No uniform. Jeans. Throat mic. Where are you going? Where have you been? Name? Thats it. "Eh", you think... Then at the ticket counter more questions. What you DON'T know is that whoever else was listening to the conversation in line has opened a record on you, they cross check your first answer with the second at the counter (and later at security). Then they as "where are you going?" "Who will you see when you get to ____ New York?" All the while eye on your face, checking, voice stress analysis...terrorists know they will not get to new york... Even "where did you visit in Israel?" "Oh, Ajax aerospace...who did you see there?" You give a name. Someone calls that name.

The gal at the counter gives you a boarding pass, you go to the screening area.

Your responses dictate how they search YOU. It is not dictated by the length of the line, or how many people are near the imaging machine. It is intelligent and driven by risk and behavior.

Is it labor intensive? Yes. Does it require a level of commitment and intelligence far beyond TSA? Absolutely.

And that is why they don't do it. Not effectiveness, but because it cannot be turned into a "procedure", like how to make a Big Mac.