DHS claims the legal right to strip search any air traveler.

If that sounds like inflammatory rhetoric, have a read for yourself:
http://epic.org/2011/03/dhs-we-have-the-authority-to-r.html

In truth, I believe the Department of Homeland Security (AKA American Gestapo) does have the legal authority to do this.  We foolishly gave them that authority when we allowed ourselves to be collectively bullied into accepting the so called Patriot Act in the wake of the 911 air disasters.  What we should really be questioning is why they still have this authority.  Why are we the people so silent in this regard?

It's one thing to have power and another to flaunt it publicly.  Telling Americans that they can be taken into a back room and stripped down by strangers in order to secure your air travel is flaunting it.  So why did they do this?  Simply because they want to scare us into accepting their x-ray skin cancer acceleration / pornogram machines.  The more power we give these monsters, the more they will use their existing power in order to justify the acquisition of more power.  They don't have to pay for it nor do they have to show any economic benefit so the sky is the limit.  Once they have sufficient power to terriorize us they will begin to abuse it even more overtly just as we see happening in 3rd world dictatorships where police and other government agents routinely shake down citizens in order to augment their salaries.  That is where we are going unless people demand change from their elected representatives.