The current TSA security methods are a worthless and non-productive use of federal resources and restrict the civil liberties of American citizens.  We should remember that the goal of our enemy is to not only kill Americans, but also to destroy the capitalist economy that supports our society.  This is why the 9/11 attacks were so successful.  Loss of life and expenditures of hundreds of billions of dollars were the result.

Al Qaeda still has those two goals in mind, however a decade later our defensive posture, fear and obsession with "being safe" has made us more vulnerable.  Consider this likely scenario:

An Al Qaeda operative walks into O'Hare airport on a busy day of holiday travel.  He pulls a large hand-carry bag containing 30 pounds of PETN explosives.  He proceeds to the TSA security check area and stands in line with 300 others awaiting screening.  As he finally approaches the first TSA agent he yells, "Allahu Akbar" and detonates his bomb.  The entire screening checkpoint, hundreds of travelers in line, and half of the terminal building is destroyed.  As a sign of Al Qaeda's organizational power, within thirty seconds there are similar simultaneous bombings at JFK, LAX.

TSA has nothing in place to prevent this type of attack.  No scanners.  No pat-downs.  The terrorists have no threat of being caught before they attain their martyrdom.

Our open society demands realistic strategies to protect our citizens, property, and economy from such attacks.  These strategies must not erode the civil liberties of the citizen.  TSA apparently does not understand that concept.  So for that reason, all of their efforts are defensive in nature and futile to end the threat.

To truly protect our land, we must pro-actively root out the leadership, structure and suppliers of both men and material related to Islamic terrorism.  When we take the offensive posture, they must assume the defensive role.  Our feeble attempts to co-opt the Taliban, co-operate with puppet government leaders, and to protect the rights of captured terrorists are all defensive strategies as futile as patting down a 50-year-old nun.