MSNBC question of the day - War on Terror: Should racial profiling be allo

[Coloradan4Truth]

sorry if dup -

War on Terror: Should racial profiling be allowed?
* 7111 responses

Yes 68%
No 32%
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080261/

I imagine there are varying opinions on this, but below is mine (and what I wrote to MSNBC). Would like to hear other's thoughts.

I do not believe racial profiling should be allowed, because terrorists will vary the way they look (on purpose, if they don't already have different appearances - since terrorism is global). It's like taking a sample in order to find out something (in this case locate a particular person or group) from a population you don't have the resources to sample completely; in order to be fully effective, your sample must be random. Random sampling also acts as a deterrent, as one never knows if they will be the one to be searched.

[bluestateguy]

1. Terrorists can find enough disgruntled white men to slip through

Some angry loner, 40 years old, down and out, unemployed could be succeptible to a payoff from a terrorist group to either plant bombs somewhere or assist in the execution of an attack.

[arcane1]

3. or a 20-something disgruntled Gulf War veteran

or a hyper-righteous Christian fundie

and so on...

[marmar]

2. Disturbing imbalance in the responses...

I fear that we're moving in that direction anyway, kind of like in the movie "The Siege."

[ThomWV]

4. Interesting question

I voted No, but something tells me the right answer is Yes.

I notice that 2/3 of the people don't agree with me. That's OK. Maybe they just need a better education. Maybe its me that needs a better education.

Back in the dark recesses of my mind I keep thinking, if I was hunting down a KKK member for participating in a lynching I would not be looking at black men.

As far I know no Norwegian has been involved in any "terrorist" event either, so giant white guys with blond hair and jutting jaws would be safe from interrogation if I were in charge. But then I voted No. So tell me, which is right?

[anarch]

5. I got a question suggestion for 'em: "should we institute martial law...

in order to protect our freedom?"

[carnie_sf]

6. Or should we sacrifice the constitution in order to preserve it?

[Bluzmann57]

7. Voted no

Here in Iowa, we don't worry about these things as much as urban dwellers, but I still find racial profiling repugnant. I told them that the question was ridiculous and that McVeigh, Rudolph and the IRA were, and are terrorists of the worst kind as are radical Muslims. I also said that if a person wants to cause harm, they will find a way to do so. I closed out by asking if a bomber refused to board the train at point A, whats to keep them from going to point B where there are no police?

[dogday]

8. Profiling then internment or deportation

wait and see

[understandinglife]

9. A racist, hate question. Here's what a couple of white terrorists did.

And, here's what the war criminal Bush, as white a guy as you'll find, has accomplished:


http://www.newsparkproductions.org/


Peace.

www.missionnotaccomplished.us

[Coloradan4Truth]

10. I agree with you - wholeheartedly

Did you see the NBC nightly news last night, though? They, in all seriousness, proposed racial profiling as a potentially efficient method of finding terrorists bording the NY subway system (specifically addressing those terrorists "like" the ones in London).

As is typical of MSM they didn't look at the broader picture of "why terrorists" in the first place. And, as is typical, the American public is buying it (profiling).

[DFWdem]

11. "Why terrorists" indeed

I believe that is an excellent question in light of the 7/7 bombings. After all, three of the bombers were second generation, middle class immigrants of Pakistani descent. None of them had ever lived in Iraq, nor were they living in poverty. It's hard to argue that the war in Iraq made them do it, and as far as I know Britain has not deployed troops to Pakistan.

[Patty Diana]

12. How about those radical right wing neo nazi groups in the USA,

my national security alert from vets for common sense sited dozens of really horrid plans that the FBI had foiled since 2001. I'll go thru the mail and see if it's still there.