The purpose is not security, but to humiliate and constantly remind who is "in charge". Year-to-date statistics for 2010 on airport screening at Dulles and Reagan Airports from the Department of Homeland Security:
Terrorist Plots Discovered 0
Transvestites 1,333
Hernias 3,485
Hemorrhoid Cases 3,172
Enlarged Prostates 8,249
Breast Implants 59,350
Link to The New American article and hat tip to slow_dazzle at Hubbert's Arms.
