So having your rights infringed upon makes you feel safer. Now let me ask you this, do you really think that these searches are going to find anything that a simple X-ray / dog team could not? Why should you be forced to remove your shoes? Why should you have to surrender nail clippers and small knives?

Why should you be forced to surrender small knives? Well... Gee... I don't know...

Neither do I... I mean what the hell are you going to do with a pen knife? If it's legal to carry on the street, why not a plane?

Well, ther eis not a whole lot of security on the plane, so with a simple knife you could easily take over a plane, If the passengers were to cowardly to step up.

I dont see the point of taking nail clippers, are you going to clip someone to death?

Here is the thing, the passengers on the 9/11 planes didn't do anything because for decades before that we learned that if you are on a plane that is hijacked, and you just remain seated and compliant you'll get out ok. It was people who resisted that got hurt or killed (or members of the Military regardless of resistance). The one plane that went down before it got to its target, went down because the passenger resisted because they got word of what was going on elsewhere. I assure you that no American plane will ever be hijacked with a knife again. I refuse to believe that any plane could be entirely populated with cowards. I tell you one thing, if you stand up on my plane with a box cutter, you won't walk off alive, and I won't even need my nail clippers.

Which brings me to my next point... I could kill the average civilain with my bare hands, with barely any effort, should I be required to be shackled in flight?

Yes, you should be shackled. And I would be the one doing it...

But my point is a knife should not be taken on a plane, it is a highly dangerous weapon.

You'll have to sedate me to do it...

Seriously though, how far is too far? Even you said that you don't see the point of taking nail clippers. Some airports only break off the nail file part, which is great, instead of taking my property, you just break it... Wonderful.

You can't do much more damage with a pen knife. I am a 200lb man. Do you have any idea how many times you'd have to stab me to kill me with a pen knife?

Well yeah you are highly trained in kicking ass... much like myself. But the average American is not going to know what to do when a man with a knife comes after you. I am an athlete and have been in boxing, and I would feel a little worried if a man charged me with a knife.