Everytime the TSA is criticised for their silly airport checks, like removing sandals, some bloke comes along and says “Yea, well, airplane security might not be perfect, but can you think of anything better?”

Does anyone realise how ridiculous this is?  First, if you think that the way the TSA is approaching things is correct, then, well, it's pretty pathetic to have to ask perfect strangers if they have anything better.  Since most people don't know much about security, it's like having a bad designer decorating your house, then, when criticised about the horrible design and colouring outside the lines, your only response is to say “yea, well, YOU go do something better.”

At any rate, there is something better.  The security hole exploited on 9/11 was one that allowed cockpit access.  It had nothing to do with letting people with weapons on.  It's so incredibly easy to get weapons on, that I'd be surprised if anyone with an IQ over 105 couldn't figure out how to get a .22 pistol on board.  So, the answer is to plug the security hole (a cockpit access vulnerability), and ensure that even if 10 people come on with nunchaku, .22 pistols and crowbars that they cannot gain control of the plane.

However, what the TSA is doing is similar to not patching a system, yet enacting all sorts of false security measures.  For instance, lets say a new blaster variant comes out and attacks Windows machines on ports 135 using a new, unpatchable hole.  Since that's somehow related to Windows networking, our fake security advisor says: “Ha!  We'll turn off file and print sharing.  Yea, it'll annoy everyone and make our network useless since that's what we use the network for.  But, we need to be secure!”

Then someone who hasn't been hit by a bus or other any other large, blunt object says “That doesn't solve the problem!  You can still be hacked, and that's a useless measure.  Stop annoying everyone and actually concentrate on real problems.”

Can you imagine that person being told “Well, maybe not, but at least our CEO feels better, and hey, what's your great idea?”  That's pretty much what the DHS and TSA do.  “Sure, we don't know crap.  But we'll be damned if we're actually going to take any decent suggestions.  Now there, please remove your sandals and your watch.”

To the untrained eye, glass can appear as diamond.  Thus, to the security-blind, enacting useless fanfare security measures looks to be genuine.