I work for an industry which is heavily regulated and inspected by the federal government (blood plasma collection). We check on ourselves, we check on each other, we have internal reviews. Any new plasma donor gets their paperwork checked the day they come in, the next day on review, and then every time they come in to donate. I don't think TSA is doing anything like this.
In the beginning of the current hysteria (2001), you couldn't carry a fingernail clipper on an airplane (Open the cockpit door or I'll give you a really bad manicure!). Then those were OK, but you couldn't carry on a toenail clipper (Open the cockpit door or I'll give you a really bad pedicure!). Then you could carry on all your clippers, but not knitting needles (Open the cockpit door or I'll knit you a really ugly sweater with 3 arms!).
Meanwhile, same-sex body searches were the norm. Never mind what the passenger wanted. Personally I would rather be frisked by the security guard who looks like J. Lo than by the one who looks like George Foreman. (brief daydream--ahem) But I digress.
Then it was shoes. Someone failed with a shoe bomb, so we all have to remove our shoes. Then it was liquids, because someone failed with liquids, so we all had to carry on only 3 ounces of gels, lotions, or anything that could flow. Now it's, what, underwear? We all get frisked and scanned and wiped and rechecked.
Meanwhile, the security people are untrained. How do I know that? My girlfriend recently flew and observed two passengers who each had a common implement in their luggage; one had to demonstrate it for the screener while the other did not have to even take it out of the suitcase for the other screener. Of course, the first was a male, who did not recognize an electric curling iron and had to have it removed, unwrapped, and demonstrated prior to allowing it to go back in the suitcase.
And if they won't let me get up during the last hour of a flight to use the men's room, I will simply say that I can go in the men's room or on the carpet, it's the flight attendant's choice.
So I will have to get very rich and charter a Lear jet.