More Lame Airport Security

A couple days late because of the road trip, but Bruce Schneier has a must read on the TSA's Do-Not-Fly list:

The no-fly list -- a list of people so dangerous they are not allowed to fly yet so innocent we can't arrest them -- and the less dangerous "watch list" contain a combined 1 million names representing the identities and aliases of an estimated 400,000 people. There aren't that many terrorists out there; if there were, we would be feeling their effects.

Ineffective? Check.

Burdensome to travelers? Check.

Enforced by people who are given precisely zero authority to exercise good sense? Check.

Boy, I can't wait for socialized healthcare.

UPDATE 2 September 2008 18:40: Adam Shostack has a post (with a pic) about a company who advertises "Fly our small planes - there's no TSA hassle." Makes you wonder if the TSA would act differently if celebrities and congress critters couldn't fly private jets, or had to go through the same TSA checkpoints that we do.