Overall, I agree with you. But my bag is just that. MY bag. I like my stuff to be touched my me (or my wife), and that's it. That's personal privacy and freedom. All I carry is first aid items and flashlights. No big scary knives. But it's my stuff.

Unfortunately, such concepts are being trod underfoot by the "greater good" idea. That which benefits (or is perceived to benefit) the greater number of people is more important than that which benefits the few or the one. I can see how that would apply here.

The NYC police are doing it all wrong, though. "Random" is never random, and random won't do any good, anyway. If you want to screen everyone, then profile everyone. Work up a racial profile on everyone and go from there. It'll never happen, but it would be interesting to see someone try.

-- Craig