No SkyPine 69, you're not the only one that finds it baffling. Our airport security and the people that they have "out in the field" is a total and complete sham...like every other bureaucratic "min run" program that the govn't sponsors. It's very unfortunate to see the complete lack of common sense that we have conducting screenings. To be honest, I think that the screeners know that no one really thinks all that highly of them. Many of them have a "complex" to begin with, and now this is the time for them to "ram it home" to the traveling public when they have this limited bit of power. Some of the screeners have the pilots (and customers) removing their wallets and thumbing through the area where you normally keep money, others take pleasure in simply harassing. Bottomline: we've got a bunch of morons in security, they will be absorbed by the govn'ts program, and it's going to have to be something that we're going to have to live with. I think that the people that they've hired is more symptomatic of a much larger problem that we have in our country though. We've come accustomed to hiring folks regardless of their technical qualifications for the job. As a society, we've allowed common sense to be totally displaced by idiots...like the McD's coffee incident, as an example. We allow the moron to be acceptable in our country...and forced to respect them. You also have folks that can barely speak english running around all over our country, but the terrible thing is that many of them don't or won't make a single bit of effort to try and become productive and contributing citizens. Look at our DMV booklets...every fricking language you can think of in there...more tax dollars at work to make everyone feel "comfortable" and welcome. Our laws aren't enforced, and more and more our society is becoming a place where right is wrong, left is right, history is invented by the latest PC publisher, and the idiot is haralded as a hero...ie Rodney King. I saw another news real that has several schools forbidding the pledge of allegiance in classrooms...more productive "teachings" to our young, bright, and aspiring students. But you know what? I still love this country...but it's still too bad we can't get back on track. Jjjjjeesshh...guess I was really venting...how's that for thread drift? Anyway.... I'm not going to lose too much more sleep over it. I'm just going to do my part to act accordingly, work hard, and be a respectable contributing member of society. Wish that the others would get on board and do the same. And I'm NOT referring to any of the fellow bro's on this board.