In a message dated 12/1/2003 7:02:54 PM Pacific Standard Time, dwl@xxxxxxxxx writes: << There are several real contributions you get with only ticketed passengers. First, and foremost, you look at plain fewer people. The more people to screen, the more likely someone is to slip through. Last I checked, they do not screen based on looks. The machines do all the screening, if they go off, you automatically are wanded. You can't slip through that. Second, you get a chance to screen and profile based on the ticket purchase, so you can focus more effort on people with higher risk profiles and unknowns and less on people with low risk profiles. They do that at the gate, before boarding, not at security. When you get a checkerboard on your BP, you are searched at the gate. BTW, I have an Iranian name and traveled too and from Vegas on 1 way tix bought separately, one a couple hours before travel and did not get the secondary on either flight. Did sit next to John Ashcroft on the flight back to LAX though. I shit you not. Only this one was 21, Mormon, and more liberal Third, you make it harder for your opponents to game the system by going through security lots of times without flying and not being tracked. >> game this system?