Rhein, you'll have to speak for yourself when you say have a fit. I can personally say I'd be no more distraught by someone having knives or other sharp objects on their carry on than I would be by them having access to a wine bottle or any one of the hundreds of other things that could potentially be used as a weapon onboard any aircraft. It isn't the object that counts and this phosophy I see as a trap. In fact I kinda feel sorry for folks who demonize or are afraid of inatimate objects--for whatever reason. Weee we interested in real security I'd think we'd look more into behaviour and background than sharp things and stuff. Scanners CAN reach their forte in looking for explosives and perhaps that is what we should be spending limited resources looking for rather than keying in on minutia.
Having said all that I do pack very very carefully and try to stay keenly aware of anything in a carry on. Other than a potential plant by a bad guy, this has little to do with safety or security and everything to do with not running afoul of some rule somewhere--and that's the point.
I personally see the 'head injury' thing by the Hawaii guy more as a lawyer ploy to get the guy off with a lighter sentence. Seems to have worked.
BTW, We didn't have IDa in school when I was a kid either; the fake IDs were for liquor, tobacco, and to get in places it was deemed weren't appropriate for us to go. They seemed to work well.