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Yesterday, I was at O'Hare. Well past the document check point, a TSA guy attending the space between the "prep tables" for my line and the one adjacent was calling out "Have your boarding pass in your hand", over and over. I dutifully dug it out and juggled it as I readied my shoes, computer, baggie, etc. As I stepped through the metal detector and attempted to show my boarding pass to the attendant, he said, "We don't need that here." Lounging against a podium five feet away was another TSA agent who appeared to be a supervisor of some sort. We could ALL hear the guy STILL calling out to everyone to "have your boarding pass in your hand."
My bro-in-law came through LAX the week before where AS HE STEPPED THROUGH the metal detector, his boarding pass was demanded. No announcement had been made ahead of time. Everyone in his "lane" had to scramble among the bags to retrieve their boarding passes. I had been through LAX for the same flight in May without having to do this, and indeed, the O'Hare thing yesterday was the only time in the 10 flights I have taken since May where a boarding pass at the metal detector SEEMED to be required.
And shoes: SFO - shoes must be in a separate bin. Louisville - "no need to use up so many bins, just put your baggie with your shoes." My gel inserts went through yesterday, but then those shoes were packed inside my carry-on.
After 9 flights with my Kindle reader passing through inside my bag, the O'Hare checkpoint was not satisfied -- they sent my bag through 2 more times, first pulling out my headphones, then the reader ("there appears to be a hard drive somewhere...").
It's these inconsistencies that expose the arbitrary and personal nature of the whole ridiculous enterprise.
On the other hand (referring to the "airlines putting up with this"), the nexus of charging for checked bags and the baggie-enforced weight limit of liquids and gels would seem to be saving the airlines a bundle in fuel costs.
