Westie - Bolleaux
Had the US enforced the same check-in rules as have been commonplace in Europe for ages, perhaps some of the Arab terrorists would have been intercepted. That's an oft made statement; personally I don't agree. Those mad ba$tards would have found another way.
The US pioneered very rapid kerb-to-seat check-in and had a very slick operation as a result - but it made the sad mistake of assuming that the world was populated by reasonable people who behaved like members of the human race....... But equally there were some very complacent checkers for international flights. More interest in "Are you now, or have y'ever been a member of the Comm'nist party" than "Open the bag, please sir".
However, the excesses of some security screening border on the extreme. Take the airline pilot who delivered an aircraft for servicing and was then due to fly back with his own airline. Single passenger, one-way ticket, no hold luggage.....the Feds' computer went nuts and the poor chap found himself "Assumin' the position" whilst a more thorough and intrusive search was carried out. That's what I mean about ridiculous 'Reds under the bed' behaviour.
Personally, I think the way ahead for Business Travel is fractional flight ownership from discrete locations with rapid check-in for passengers known to the flight operator and guaranteed by their employers. The airport authorities won't like that though as it would deprive them of a target audience in the shopping areas!
(PS - Westie, I hope that you and yours were spared any loss in the recent west coast wildfires. There's not much on the news here about them any more - have they all now been contained?)