s/enahance/enhance/

I suspect the TSA serves no other function that to keep the American people in a constant state of fear of another terrorist attack. The usless TSA raises the cost of air travel and creates traffic jams at airports. Eliminate it!

The whole procedure is perfect for a Seinfeld episode.  It is ridiculous to think that
flip-flops and frozen chili pose a threat to safety in the air.   There is only one entity that is dangerous -  a passenger, any passenger!   We need to ban all passengers from all flights, it is the only way to prevent anything from happening.  Hmm, think  how much fuel that would save at the same time.  Gas prices might drop.  People will go shopping and the economy will be stimulated.  They might even take that long postponed plane ride to Disney Land. 

Oops.

A few stories from here should be enough to substantiate this.

TSA's signage and web site states liquids up to 3.0 oz are permitted when it is stated  elsewhere that 3.4oz or 100ml of liquids is ok.

How are travelers to know what is expected when TSA provides incorrect information to travelers.  TSO's make up rules and policy as they go at airport checkpoints with no oversight or recourse available to the traveler.

Items that are not prohibited are confiscated from travelers who have no choice but to give up their personal property or not fly.

TSA needs a total overhaul focusing on treating citizens and guest of the United States with dignity.

Anyone who has flown into LAX has experienced a police state in action.  I refuse to use that airport due to the cattle-herding behavior of rude, poorly trained and dangerous blue shirts.  The TSA is one of the scariest organizations our government has created.  It is full of vindictive petty tyrants with too much power.  At airports we see more security personnel than travelers.  To be safer we have to put more resources into foreign policy and relations with those Pres. Bush referred to as the Axis of Evil , improve people's access to food, clean water and shelter, and work to control weapons of mass destruction. 

Anyone who has flown into LAX has experienced a police state in action.  I refuse to use that airport due to the cattle-herding behavior of rude, poorly trained and dangerous blue shirts.  The TSA is one of the scariest organizations our government has created.  It is full of vindictive petty tyrants with too much power.  At airports we see more security personnel than travelers.  To be safer we have to put more resources into foreign policy and relations with those Pres. Bush referred to as the Axis of Evil , improve people's access to food, clean water and shelter, and work to control weapons of mass destruction. 

The TSA is as it exists is "security threatre" - the agency needs to be overhauled or eliminated.   The public needs to know what the rules are and the TSA needs to stop pushing passengers around.  There must be accountability on all levels from the top on down, this includes a way to for passengers to complain and have the complaints handled properly without fear of retaliation.

Secure Flight also needs to be put to an end - it is a disgusting invasion of privacy.

I agree the TSA is security theatre and most of these rules and procedures should be abandoned.  However, I do not agree that the rules should be made public.

Changing the rules frequently - even randomly - while keeping them a secret enhances security by keeping the bad guys off guard.

Of course, the people enforcing the rules should not expect the people being screened to know the rules - quite the opposite.  This is what I find most infuriating - not only do the rules change, not only are we not told what they are, or where to find out what they are, but the people enforcing the rules look at you like you're the idiot when you don't know what to do.  They of all people should know better.  But they are underpaid and overworked.  And their tasks are fruitless, pointless and mind-numbing.

Most of the existing rules should be scrapped - the metal detectors and x-ray machines are a waste, let alone all the new gee-whiz technology like gas-spectroscopes, etc..  We need relatively fewer, more highly trained people doing jobs that more closely resemble police work - patrolling, investigating, even spying.  They might be empowered to stop, question, search, etc. anyone they see fit.  But routine searches and arbitrary prohibitions  just make things harder for ordinary people.

Julian, you are advocating for us being subjected to secret laws.  That's bad.

We're talking about restricting people's right to travel, here.  We should be able to see the rules that we are required to follow so that we can ensure we are in compliance with them.  What little we are told by TSA varies significantly from one source to another.  We have no way of knowing if we or anyone else is in compliance with the rules.  When someone is accused of violating the rules, we have no way of determining whether that claim has merit.  We have seen multiple examples of TSA airport staff wrongly accusing people of breaking the rules.  Best we can tell, they misinform people with impunity.

Arbitrarily changing the bar for what is considered dangerous to take on an airplane and what is not may make it more difficult for "bad guys" to figure out what can be carried through an airport checkpoint (not that there's any benefit to that), but it also means sometimes prohibiting things that are not dangerous and other times allowing things that are dangerous.  What good is that?

Why the focus on confusing the bad guys instead of simply keeping dangerous things off of airplanes? If bad guys figure out what we consider dangerous and don't bring those things on an airplane, that's good, isn't it?

TSA: Why don't you just tell us specifically what it is that you want us to do so that we can do it instead of wasting our time playing your gotcha games? What is to be gained by your setting us up to fail instead of helping us succeed at not bringing dangerous items onto airplanes?  Please, show us the rules and leave us alone when we follow them.

Get rid of the carry-on liquid restrictions.  They are totally absurd.

I feel that there should also be more oversight in regards to the TSA (and DHS in general).  For too long this agency has had too much power over our daily lives, and we have no recourse when are wrong.  We simply have to accept it.

Let's go back to security the way it was before 9/11.  With cockpit doors now hardened and with passengers responding to trouble on board,( http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-rapper-airline-bomb8-2009jan08,0,7307915.story), there is no need for shoe removal or limitating the amount of liquids one can bring on board. 

The MMW machines need to be abandoned as they are nothing but a humiliating virtual strip search.

Stop the ID check as it does nothing the "enchance" security and could quite possibly be illegal. 

The same rules must apply at all airports and not subject to the whims of local FSDs.

The TSA, in fact DHS in its entirety, needs to be reined in and brought under tight control and oversight.

Do away with the TSA.. Could they make travel any more inconvenient without doing away with it all together? I agree with many in the statements above. This is Theatre meant to keep us scared and p/o'ed.  Shoes, shampoo, my cup of coffee aren't a threat  to anyone. Give me a break! Disband TSA. Let us fly and use common sense instead of Gustapo methods.  I am so fed up with being  treated like so much cattle with the mind of a child or less. I am a reasonably intelligent, practical, responsible adult, thank you very much. And I REALLY hate other people prowling around in my purse or touching me in inappropriate places which, if I don't know you, is ANYWHERE on my person!

@pmocek, I hear what you are saying.  A couple of points though:

- The whole security process is a violation of our normal constitutional rights.  People should be "secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures".  The idea is that we trade away our rights for the privilege of boarding an airplane.  I think that's wrong from the start, but if we are to swallow the need for extra security, then we should aim for real security, not a show.

- Real security does not come from getting rid of bad things or bad people.  It comes from identifying when the bad people will do bad and stopping them before they can pull it off.  Bad guys will fly their intended target route 5 times before doing anything bad.  They may even bring their tools with them, just to see if they can - before they ever commit a crime.

- Letting the bad guys know what we allow and don't allow will not stop them.  It just gives them a clear view of the battlefield.  They will then design plots that play within or bypass our rules.

- Real security professionals know that the best way to detect a problem is by making people uncomfortable and gaging their reaction.  What you are complaining about is the part of the process that actually makes sense.  The idea is to make everyone feel as though they are under suspicion - as if they might get caught and/or put through the wringer.  Then the cops look at people's reactions.  Good people will be pissed off and indignant.  Bad people will look away, sweat, etc..

So changing the rules and keeping everyone off balance is the only thing I think they are doing which is worthwhile.  Ever notice that some days a penny will set off the metal detector and other days you can walk through with a phone and your belt and a pound of other metal?  They randomizing the settings.

Having said all that, I would rather do away with screenings altogether and restore people's rights.  I consider the whole process humiliating and a violation of my rights.  But if we agree to have our rights violated, then let's at least let it be for some effect.

@Valarie: agree 100%.  I would rather take my (pretty good) chances with the bad guys than suffer the indignity, delay and waste of the security process.

@Susie R:  I disagree.  Yes, hardened doors and better awareness are great.  By why "go back"?  Why not just let passengers take over security altogether?  The "same rules must apply everywhere" also runs counter to the idea of keeping people off balance.

@mkt3k: Your recourse is to drive, take the bus, take the train.  Not much comfort, I admit.  We should just stop the screening altogether, but this is politically impossible.  Just goes to show how once something like this gets started, it's impossible to undo.

LynnL, good luck deciphering what restrictions exist.  Sometimes TSA says 3 oz., sometimes they say 3.4 oz.  Sometimes TSA luggage inspectors restrict items based on weight instead of volume.  How volume will be measured and what labels will be trusted in lieu of measurement is unclear.  There is no authoratative list of which liquids will be allowed in larger quantities for medical reasons.  On top of  all that, TSA policy allows their staff to prohibit any item at-will regardless of existing policy regarding that item.