100% cargo screening was a stupid idea

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With the December deadline for 100% screening of US-bound cargo looming, this strongly worded op-ed piece argues that US Congress has done nobody – including those worried about the security of the US – any favours by insisting that the TSA meet the requirement. But it could have been worse: because while the text of the legislation appears to be talking about 100% scanning, 100% screening means something else entirely – screening can also mean adopting a risk-based, intelligence approach without having to physically inspect every item of cargo.