Profiling Revisited

Apparently, our government, in it's PC wisdom, has decided that it's discriminatory for airline security to question more than a few people of the same ethnic origin at the same time. This from Michael Smerconish's column in the Philadelphia Daily News (link here)

Hmmmm....can't question more than "a few" young, Arab men who are flying the same flight? If United and American had done that on September 11, 2001, we might not be facing this question today.

Let's return to my previous ranting about the dreaded, evil act of profiling. First of all, it's something that we all do without thinking every single day of our lives. It's based on experience, prejudices, and teachings. You look at a person, and in milliseconds, make a judgment as to whether this is a dangerous person who may be harmful to you or people with you, someone you might want to keep your eye on, or someone who is harmless. You might feel "bad vibes" from this person, or maybe they give you the heebie-jeebies. You've never seen this person before in your life and don't know why, but this is someone you want to steer clear of.

In airline profiling, we have the experience and prejudice of September 11. Previous to that date, hijackings in the US consisted mostly of young men wanting to go to Cuba. The airlines dealt with it by doing whatever the hijacker wanted. It resulted in a free trip to Cuba for the passengers, and, except for the delay in arrival at their original destination, was relatively harmless.

Since September 11, we have to endure much more extensive security measures and secondary screening procedures. I haven't had reason to fly since September 11, but I imagine most of the traveling public profiles the other passengers, especially those who fit the profile of the 9/11 hijackers - young, Arab males. Now, if any, I repeat, any, of the hijackers had been blue-eyed blondes, I would be writing an entirely different entry here.

Experience has told us that young men with dark hair and eyes who also have olive complexions are to be looked twice at. Do I like doing this? No, I hate it. I don't like putting all men who fit a particular description in the same category as the 19 vermin who destroyed so many lives. I live in Florida, this description fits a lot a young men. We have both Mid-Eastern and Hispanic populations here, and if you don't hear them speak, or don't ask for a personal history, that very general description fits both ethnicities.

Let's say a woman has been raped. She describes the rapist as being about 22 years old, 5'10", dark brown hair, green eyes, and has a scar on his right cheek. The cops then go out and start questioning men who are over 40, over 6', blonde or graying hair, with blue eyes and no scar. Does this make sense? But, they can't question the men who fit the description of the rapist, it's not PC. It might hurt someone's feelings. In the meantime, the rapist is still out there.

We have got to get away from this PC nonsense. I don't want to give up my personal freedoms by any stretch of the imagination, but I also don't want to be searching old women in wheelchairs and eight-year-old children until there is a reason to suspect that something is being hidden by Grannie or Junior.

Search everyone or search those who fit the descriptions of the 9/11 hijackers. If I fit the profile and got screened every time I turned around, I'd be royally ticked off at those doing the searches, but especially at those who caused it in the first place.

Let's not ever forget what brought this on in the first place.