"Counter­terrorism in the airport is a show designed to make people feel better"

Remember to consider the incentives of the 535 individuals who vote on funding the TSA year after year.<p>It doesn't matter if it provides any security. It keeps us sheeple under the illusion of safety, we keep buying plane tickets and a whole economy springs up surrounding the airport (not to mention the firms supplying the TSA with equipment). That's good for a ton of voter approval. Even better, if you don't vote for the TSA your opponent can call you out: 'Senator so-and-so wants our innocent children to die in a fire at the hands of scary men with beards!'<p>Yes. I'm jaded. I know.

No matter how many times I try, the security guards never let me take toothpaste or bottled water through the gate. They also had a tendency to confiscate my hair gel when i used to gel it up.<p>However, I was able to take my laptop + two batteries + 360 (and cables) + two external hard drives (and all the cables) + router + other misc electronic stuff through as carry on (Since I didn't trust the TSA not to steal it out of my suitcase when flying home and all) without any issues. Not even a question or odd look.

So many more people die in car accidents than in terrorist attacks - I would say that the feeling of safety in flight is not false in any account. The article has it completely backwards - the airport security theater is what creates the false feeling of unsafety.

I've been saying this for years. I routinely just stick my toiletries in my pockets to avoid having to do that stupid little baggie. I used to fly a pretty decent amount (50k miles per year) and never once had a problem that way.<p>Also, I messed around with cheap homemade plastic explosives in high school enough to know that the amount you could legitimately stick in plastic tubes and then cram into a ziploc bag is more than enough to cause some serious damage.<p>Luckily we're all safe because very few people actually want to kill a plane full of strangers, and even fewer want to kill themselves too.

You say it like it's a bad thing. It works very well - people feel safe.

If it is true, it means that counterterrorism in the airport actually decreases security, as it decreases motivitation to find real solutions to the problem.

Surely it's also at least partly a show in order to make terrorists feel like they won't get away with it?<p>It's easy to complain about airport security, but you gotta admit: terrorists seem to have more-or-less given up on targeting aeroplanes.