Although I find bashing TSA cheap, affordable entertainment, I'm sure there are a number of diligent, hardworking, conscientious folks who work for the agency. Unfortunately those aren't the people I often see doing baggage/passenger screening at Dulles; many of them seem to delight in frustrating passengers with random, arbitrary decisions on contents of carry-on items that often conflict with their own written guidelines and since they have time on their side and you (we) have a plane to catch right now, they often come out the victors, fair or not. Having said that, the screeners at Kalispell, Missoula and Bozeman airports have always treated fellow fishermen and passengers with a lot more courtesy and respect.
Regards,
Scott