[ASpring]

"but it sounds like even the mildest TSA procedures are a lot worse than that."

While I don't agree with a lot of the racial profiling and other acts the TSA commits, I don't think the average case is near as bad as you think.

I've flown internationally(to relatively unstable regions also) quite a few times since the TSA was put in place. Normally I step through a body scanner and grab my things and go. My worst case was accidentally having toothpaste in my carry on and having to go through that to throw it out.

Then again, it's probably easier for me as a young, Caucasian, American. YMMV