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No, Racial Profiling Doesn't Work... Riiiight.

Hey wasn't the shoe guy originally from Sri Lanka?

That would make him South Asian, right?

Or is it goldberg, iceberg, what is the difference? ;)
 
Of course, there will be a few terrorists who don't fit the profile, but the vast majority we've seen fit it perfectly. Who are the adherents to the interpretation of Islam that Al-Qaeda supports? Saudis, Pakistanis, Afghans - people from mideastern Islamic nations. If these people get extra scrutiny because they are more likely to be terrorists than a grandmother from Nebraska, how can that possibly be a bad thing?
 
crackmonkey said:
Of course, there will be a few terrorists who don't fit the profile, but the vast majority we've seen fit it perfectly. Who are the adherents to the interpretation of Islam that Al-Qaeda supports? Saudis, Pakistanis, Afghans - people from mideastern Islamic nations. If these people get extra scrutiny because they are more likely to be terrorists than a grandmother from Nebraska, how can that possibly be a bad thing?
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You can never be too careful with Nebraskan Grandmothers...

There are finite resources available to investigate terrorist. How about we concentrate on the ones that are carrying bombs rather than the ones that "look like arabs". Osama must be having a good laugh when told "The americans are looking for anyone who looks like an arab" I bet Winston Churchill would have found "watch out for people who look like Germans" very valuable advice...

King George was on the lookout for "American looking" revolutionaries.....

Roman soldiers should be suspicious of anyone that looks like Ghengis Kahn.

During WW2 it was difficult to tell who looked German or Italian so we just interned japanese looking people.

If you find crop circles, suspect anyone who looks Martian.:)
 
Lothian said:
Ghengis, I don’t think it is difficult to understand, but feel free to correct me if I have it wrong.

In order to prevent terrorism every arab and middle-eastern looking man in and entering the United States should be deemed a likely terrorist. Therefore they should be subject to intensive investigation to acertain whether they are a danger to the nation.

My concern is that this strategy will result in such a massive waste of time and money that legitimate methods would suffer. But then you weren’t being serious were you.
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Agreed that it takes a great deal of time and money. But, have you tried to get through an American airport lately? I can't begin to imagine what we're spending on security checks, screening equipment, people to operate this equipment, and security personnel. I'm constantly delayed by having to:

* present id and boarding pass
* take out my laptop to screen seperately
* remove my jacket
* place purse, cell phone, keys, change, etc in a seperate container
* remove shoes
* walk through xray
* go to gate and present ID again and possibly be searched again

Believe me, I'm no threat to national security. And, I don't like undergoing all these measures. But if the US were to suddenly suffer attacks from perpetrators who were predominantly white, female and under 5'4" , I wouldn't care if they singled me out (and those like me) for security checks...especially since I have nothing to hide. And, if it means that 80 year old men and women, or six year old children are less likely to be detained needlessly as a result, better still.
 
I don't have a problem with profiling, the biggest problem with it based on race is that it can lead to overlooking potential threats from people of other races.

Let's not forget that the 2nd biggets terrorist attack in the US was done by a white American born citizen, and that the anthrax mail letters were from a white American born citizen also.

Profiling, fine. Race as one of many elements to profiling, fine too. Focusing in on race too much and not looking at other factors, stupid.
 
The other issue of course is that if only you look for Arab terroists then you will only find Arab terrorists, and hence you will verify your expectation that all terrorists are Arabs.

Keep in mind to that most people who get "caught before the act" are people who were likely not to have really gone through with it anyway, so I'm sure that there are a lot of terrorist blowhards of all colors all over the country with different agenda, probably 99% of which never act on their desires. If you start arresting on these desires, and only target Arabs, sure, I bet you can find planty, but if you apply the same standard to all races I bet you find plenty in all races too.
 
One last thing, they did catch the guy did they not? So obviously is proof that whatever they are doing is working. (at least in theory, assuming its not all a bunch of lies like the rest of the news) So, if they are cathing terrorist threats then what is the problem?
 
I am pleased that the majority of posters here are exhibiting rational thinking, and that the early tide of PC Crusading on this thread has been turned back by the powers of logic and reason.

Of course, profiling should only be used as one part of the overall effort to identify and stop terrorists. Nobody is talking about relying soley on profiling. It is refreshing to me to see the government making a common-sense decision on a delicate topic like this (racial profiling).
 
Do you listen to Huey Lewis and the News?
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Those were the best parts of that book! Those parts and the habitrail up the...anyway...

Wasn't the dude who blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma from Syria?

He wasn't?!?
 
How dumb do you think these guys are? If there out to do terrorism obvioulsy they are going to distance themsleves from sterotypical looks and behavior.

Not to mention that arabs come in a variety of size shapes and colors. Therer are alot of arabs (and muslims) who do not look the stereotype.
 
Tmy said:
How dumb do you think these guys are? If there out to do terrorism obvioulsy they are going to distance themsleves from sterotypical looks and behavior.

Not to mention that arabs come in a variety of size shapes and colors. Therer are alot of arabs (and muslims) who do not look the stereotype.
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I find the lack of intelligence shown in this post is disheartening. This person couldn't really have thought this post out very well. I mean, we have already talked about other potential threats -- from black muslims, female muslims, muslim terrorists from southeast Asia, etc. -- yet Tmy now produces this gem of a post?
 
Your right, profing works. Of course you never really hear about profiling when its wrong. That serial killer in Baton Rouge. Wrong profile, that kid who was bombing mailboxes in the midwest. Wrong profile. DC sniper, wrong again.

It amazes me how people bitch about he security in airports and then want all this profiling cause they dont want to be bothered by security. People most for profiling are the ones who are not goingto be profiled.
 
Malachi151 said:
I don't have a problem with profiling, the biggest problem with it based on race is that it can lead to overlooking potential threats from people of other races.

Let's not forget that the 2nd biggets terrorist attack in the US was done by a white American born citizen, and that the anthrax mail letters were from a white American born citizen also.

Profiling, fine. Race as one of many elements to profiling, fine too. Focusing in on race too much and not looking at other factors, stupid.
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I'm curious, who is the white American born citizen that mailed the anthrax letters?

I don't remember them being identified or caught.:confused:
 
c'mon, we profile people based on race and appearance every day. if i'm on a plane i would be more comfortable sitting next to two white businessmen holding suitcases or two black ladies carrying bibles than two "arab-looking" young men clutching copies of the koran.

i will admit that sitting next to them i'd be hoping security checked them and their bags extra carefully.

and the vast majority of the time my fears would be unfounded but those thoughts would go through my mind. and i dont think those thought make me racist. my country was burned badly by 19 arabs, not 19 norwegians. that's the reality of the situation.
 
My theory is that using racial profiling to check arab and middle-eastern looking men (especially when they are from the middle east) will be beneficial in thwarting terrorist attacks, and is only common sense. As proof, you can see the 911 hijackers, the shoe bomber, and the newly arrested would-be Brooklyn Bridge bomber as confirmation that the profile does in fact match the perpetrators, to a T.

What part of this is difficult to understand?
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Ohh, Ohh, Mr. Kotter, call on me, I know this one.

First, we need to define the "check" in "using racial profiling to check arab and middle-eastern looking men." Do you mean give them five extra minutes of security checks at the airport or give them eighty-five extra minutes of security at the airport or do you mean check up on them whether they are travelling or not?

Second, the terrorist bomb that brought down the 747 over Lockerbee, Scotland was not carried on board by a swarthy Middle-eastern man. It was carried on by a Middle-eastern man's girlfriend (he did not board the plane). So once targeting profiling catches on, the terrorists will have non-targeted people knowingly or unknowingly carry on the weapons/bombs/pointed wooden sticks.*

Third, once targeted racial profiling catches on, the terrorists will send a couple of dozen Middle-eastern looking men through security at once. None will have anything on them, but the additional strain on limited resources will make it easier for the other non-Middle-eastern terrorists to get through security at the same time.

Fourth, part of this type of terrorism is coming up with something bigger than the last event. I am quite doubtful that Al Queda is planning another airplane hijacking when there are so many other vulnerable high-visibility targets available.

Fifth, I need to get a life if I am spending this much time responding to a troll who seems to aspire to the role of sock puppet (what with the Darth photo?)



*pointed wooden sticks were recently used in an attack on a flight attendant.
 
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