Ah, yes. I experienced the new heightened security in the US for the first time yesterday. A somewhat marked difference to that which I saw (at the same airport) on 9th September when I was allowed to walk around the outside of the beeping gate twice.
The best bit came when the security man asked me why I had a headset in the bag bearing a 'Crew' tag.
Even now I get the impression that some of these people are doing exactly what they have been told to without thinking about why. Even worse, there doesn't seem to be much initiative involved either.