> Sell a solution to that problem.

Force everyone in the country, by law, to buy the solution.

I'm not even talking about the latest TSA BS; are we all forgetting that our taxes -- our money -- has been literally purchasing the TSA's nonsense from the very beginning?

Essentially, this program sends the following message: that a metal detector and commonsense analysis are sufficient for security purposes. If they didn't truly believe that, they wouldn't be offering it as an option. Clearly it's considered viable, and that fact alone negates the supposed necessity or benefit of the bodyscanners, the shoe-and-belt removal, the "enhanced" patdowns, and so forth.

The fundamental problem with the TSA's approach is that it's inherently reactionary and unstrategic. Terrorists try X, so let's design a countermeasure for X and subject everyone to it. Hey, now terrorists have tried Y instead of X. Let's build for Y! Terrorists are now trying Z, instead of X or Y? Crap, how'd they think of that? Better restrict Z, too. And on and on the game goes, with no rational end in sight.

Of course, the TSA counterargument here would be "...but 9/11 happened with the old system in place!!!11!" True. But, as we've seen, 9/11 was not a failure of screening technology. It was an analytical and personnel failure. If we're going to invest as heavily as we are in the TSA, then let's invest in selecting, training, and paying better people.

> To qualify, frequent fliers must meet undisclosed TSA criteria and get invited in by the airlines. There is also a backdoor in. Approved travelers who are in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's "Global Entry" program can transfer into Precheck using their Global Entry number.

I signed up for Global Entry (the "backdoor" for this program, presumably with similar paperwork) sometime in early summer last year before this domestic flight security thing was available. My interview was a joke. I don't think they verified anything I put down in my application. The CBP officer just briefly glanced at my drivers license and papers and spent more time asking me if I wrote Angry Birds ("what is your job?" "I write iPhone apps...") while looking me up and down (it was a hot day, maybe a bad day to wear a low-cut summer dress). I walked out of there in 5 minutes with my angry birds/cleavage supported approval.

I fly domestic dozens of times a year and I consider this program to be utter bullshit on the part of TSA. I'm not really providing any more information than they can already discover by information they require you to enter for purchasing a flight. I'm exchanging a false sense of security at a cost I find stupid (even though my Global Entry app fee was free). I really don't know why people can't rise up and try to get rid of TSA security theater instead of being all excited that this kind of program exists.

TSA/DHS are a joke, and if you think they're honest and/or necessary, I suggest you follow the money. I'd say start with the companies who make full body scanners (millimeter wave, which uses ionizing radiation and causes cancer (ref: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backscatter_X-ray ), but that's a whole other can of worms.)

Small correction: millimeter wavelengths are non-ionizing. X-rays are much smaller (0.01 to 10nm - Wikipedia).

There are lots of things wrong with the scanner...radiation is a very small part of it.

Each time you go buy a weapon you pay an extra 5 dollars (at least here in Illinois) to cover a background check (the results of which are instantly available). (You still have to wait 3 days in case other info hasn't yet entered the system, and then they check again, and give you your weapon).

Since my guess is most that most people who apply for this will not fall into the bracket where they do extensive background checks, they'll make plenty of profit off this.

Of course, it's also possible that the check will be a sham for all.