Behavioral profiling — especially the cut-rate version the T.S.A. has in store for us — is not going to help in this respect. Learning to defeat poorly trained screeners is a lot easier than learning to fly a jumbo jet. The likely result is that our newly minted behavioral detectives will be singling out and searching the wrong passengers.

Almost all the studies Qhave found that accuracy is close to chance."

A better idea would be to eliminate most carry-ons and emulate high-security prisons.