Your argument would hold water if we were actively doing things to protect against future events.
However, we're not.
Somebody takes a shoe bomb in so we ramp up security to check everybody's shoes.
Then somebody takes a liquid bomb in so we restrict which liquids can be carried.
Then somebody takes a knife in so we restrict blades.
Then... and so we...
ad nauseum.
Everything we are doing is reactive. It does nothing to stop future events, nothing at all.
The only benefit to implementing the assinine restrictions we have in place are solely to the politicians who then look like they're doing something about the problem. Of course, they're not. They're doing something about the effects of the problem, not the problem itself.
The problem is how we (or more accurately, the US) is percieved by the rest of the world. That's the problem which needs solving.
Personally, I'd be quite happy to fly with the security checks which were in place 20 years ago. I mean, come on, let's face it, if somebody wants to bring a flight down, they'll do it. Statistically I have about a 5000 times greater chance of being involved in a road traffic accident. The risks are miniscule. Stop worrying about it and enjoy your life.