Dumb Ideas In Airport Security

I'm with Pam on this one. I travel all the time and I have to say that the liquid ban on airplanes is the most ineffectual security measure I've seen to date. So they screen you at the gate, and make you toss out all your questionable items. That's a reasonable enough step. But the fact that they don't want you to bring onboard items purchased in the "sterile zone" indicates that they don't have much confidence in the zone's actual sterility. So why the hell isn't there a second screening at the gate? Or, better yet, why not just postpone liquid screening to the gate itself? Admitting that you sterile zone isn't sterile and then letting people bring on whatever the fuck they want doesn't increase security. Its a fucking dumbshow to make people feel safer in some nebulous fashion.