I agree with the quote that it is all "absolute nonsense".
Airport security in the US particularly is way over the top, and is responsible for the impending demise of UAL and probably AA, since it is the security system itself that is driving people away from flying. It also gives the public the perception that flying is not safe, when it highlights all the "scares", even though they always turn out to be false.
I am not aware of any case where the airport security actually prevented a hijack attempt. All the "weapons" they have confiscated have been taken from passengers and crew who had no intention of using them on the flight, ie they were not terrorists.
For better safety, the attention should be on the airplane, since that is where the action will be. Yet the only things done so far seem to me to lead to less safety, not more. Such as disarming the crew (not even a screwdriver or nail file carried), or putting in a solid door that once breached gives the hijacker total control or adding air marshalls to only a tiny fraction of flights (and those few are so overworked that they are now given alternating duties as plain clothed airport security).
Of the latest series of actual airborne attacks (most drunken or crazy passengers) only one had a "weapon". That was the El Al flight when the criminal tried to overcome the flight attendant with a pocket knife (she screamed and ran away). The other incidents did not involve weapons (one had a couple of candles, one had a bottle of petrol, one (successful) hijacking was accomplished by a crazy who had a tv remote control, one tried to use an asthma inhaler and one involved a group of three unarmed men who broke into the flight deck and beat up the pilots), which shows that even if you had 100 percent airport security you would not be able to stop a hijacker who wanted to take over the airplane; only the crew and passengers can do that. But the crew is not given any tools or training in this regard, and we all know how useful the new doors are.
Meanwhile we crew have to put up with the insanity and being treated as if we are criminals, and if we argue the TSA now has the ability to have our licence yanked! Now that is Airport Security 2003.