I travel extensively, and the U.S. "system" of security is an absolute joke. In my experience, most TSA employees are those who barely skimmed-by on a GED, and who certainly do not have the capacity to read beyond the literal letter of a regulation to interpret its purpose. The best airport security I have observed was at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. There is no security (x-ray) check at passport-control/the entry-point to the general terminal. However, once you arrive at your gate, you are subjected to a thorough screening by specially-trained Dutch police, as well as X-ray carry-on screening before being allowed into the gate waiting-area. This cuts back on delays to accessing the main terminal areas, whilst also providing individualized screening for each flight. The security personnel working each gate have access to a full passenger manifest, which has already red-flagged potential security threats (generally based on computer algorithms of unusual travel-patterns, as well as other sources of information) in advance. Due to my odd travel patterns (lots of one-ways and other complicated itineraries), I am often subjected to enhanced screening in various countries. In my experience, the U.S. approach to aviation security is a ham-fisted and serially inefficient one, which does little to actually address the potential dangers inherent in modern air-travel.
As for those who would claim the "terrists" have defeated Amerika, I would disagree. To me, it seems that there has always been some sector of Amerika seeking to express itself through unconscionable stupidity. For the moment, that expression has taken on the mantle of the TSA. In the past, no doubt other outlets (HUAC comes to mind) filled such needs. Sadly, we have become a "papers, please" society when such measures are the absolute antithesis of what is needed to address real and pressing security concerns. I remain unconcerned, however. As Churchill once said, "Americans will always do the right thing, after they have exhausted all the alternatives."