As an EE myself, I must say that I've not come across a better method than Tom Lee's for discharging the CRT (save a properly functioning bleeder resistor built into newer analog boards). While I don't necessarily like "yanking cords from sockets" while a device is up an running, the fact is that Apple engineers would have taken such into account in the analog board design. Breakers do switch off, folks. And when breaks flip while a Mac is on, that Mac goes down in a flash! But if all our Macs died every time a breaker flipped, I doubt Apple would have every sold so many! So have no fear. Yanking the power cord will not terminate your beloved Apple machine.
Also, if one considers the amount of insulation on the suction cup and insulation on the thick wire leading to the suction cup (from the flyback) it is clear there would be no arcing to your fingers if the suction cup is properly socketed into the CRT. Indeed, the only way one could be shocked is if the CRT is not discharged and you sticker your finger under the suction cup!
Clearly, most of us have read the frightful warnings posted by Apple and others (which are there for liability reasons, folks) and feel that some "magic" might cause a lightning bolt of death to break forth from all that insulation and stab us in the heart! But again, if this was so, we would have heard of at least one report of someone dying from improper Mac CRT handling. But no such reports exist that I am aware of.
In response to my words, some will be quick to say, "Yes, but I still won't trust my life to what you say." To which I can only say: it's not what I say that matters. It's the facts of how the electronics work that matters. Examine the facts and you will see that you put yourself more at risk to stick a metal object under that suction cup than you would if you used another discharge method (or no discharge method at all, in some cases). Think about it deeply and you will see the truth in it.
You only need to be concerned about proper discharge when you need to replace the CRT and/or flyback or analog board (i.e., when you need to remove that suction cup). And then, Tom Lee's method will do the job quite nicely. It's not about me having respect for Tom Lee that has resulted in my defense of his method. It's the truth about the soundness of his method that has prompted me to write this.