[tptacek]

The machines are never going anywhere; the government invested zillions of dollars in them after the underpants bomber. Too many career civil servants would lose their jobs if they got sidelined.

But you're right: things will improve if most people refuse the strip search; the TSA will get better at pretending to screen the opt-outs, and the machines won't matter anymore.

[jamesseda]

Wait until some politician's daughter's "scan" shows up in public.

[cynicalkane]

From what I have heard, career civil servants don't often lose their jobs.

[tptacek]

One of the reasons for that is that civil service selects for people who are ultra conservative and sensitive about job security, and therefore are unlikely to allow a failed project to actually fail.

[Alex3917]

The government invests billions of dollars in lots of projects that get sidelined. Just look at Afghanistan.