If you didn't have irrational fear, the TSA would not have its current powers. If you didn't have so much stupidity, the TSA might manage more than a 5% success

If you didn't have irrational fear, the TSA would not have its current powers. If you didn't have so much stupidity, the TSA might manage more than a 5% success rate. Yes, there are other elements like hate which also come into play here, but there certainly is no element of rational thought that goes into these types of laws. Yes, people have their biases and individual quirks, but it's certainly possibly to come up with and implement a system that doesn't simply pander to people's fears and plays on their stupidity. There's just no interest in such a system from either the people who are in control or the scared masses who are afraid of terrorism or other scaremongering tactics practiced by the former set of people.