The Idiocy of Profiling

[babylonsister]

http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=9F4B1CCAA4E924E90460D9DC0AD8E7F5?diaryId=3594


The Idiocy of Profiling
by: Richard Allen Smith
Mon Jan 04, 2010 at 11:01:33 AM EST


As you have probably all heard by now, on Christmas day a would-be terrorist (here forward known as "the crotch rocketeer") attempted to detonate an explosive device sown in to his underwear during the final decent of a flight into Detroit. The plan was foiled, however, when this Busch Leaguers' balls failed to explode, and with the operation lacking the redundancy of a standard al-Qaeda mission, no one was harmed. Once the flight landed and the Crotch Rocketeer was taken into custody, he began responding to questioning and acknowledged that he received the balls-of-fire device from an al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen. The Crotch Rocketeer made this confession without the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques", revealing the information simply by responding to the questions posed by his interrogators.

In spite of the utter failure and elementary level of this operation and the effectiveness of humane interrogation, we are being told by a chorus of bed-wetters that we must engage in Bush/Cheney-esque rape of American civil liberties through activities such as torture and profiling.

Just take a look at this video of Tom McInerney indicating that we should begin strip searching every Muslim air traveler:

Video at link~

Apart, for the xenophobic implications, what a ridiculous idea. Watch this: I just converted to Islam. When I go to the airport in a couple weeks will I, with the name Richard Allen Smith, be strip searched being that I converted to Islam three minutes ago and am now a Muslim? My guess is no. What about Mirsad Bektasevic, the Balkan terror cell leader or the other "white Muslims" extremist organizations are attempting to recruit? Will they be profiled if they do not have a Muslim name? Or how about comedian Dave Chappelle who is also Muslim? My guess is since xenophobes would be unable to profile him as Muslim, since he doesn't have what they feel is a "Muslim name", Dave wouldn't be strip searched either. Or How about U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN)? Will he be profiled with his "traditional" name? If so, are we really going to start strip searching members of Congress due to their religious affiliation?

So I'm not sure what is actually being proposed here. Do the bed-wetters want all whites, African-Americans, Arabs (and Persians?), and those of Balkan decent to be strip searched? Or being that that would be ineffective, are we to create a national registry of the religious beliefs of all Americans?

This is all starting to sound like something out of Germany in the 1930s.

[stray cat]

1. I've been profiled - for buying tickets at the last minute and for not booking a return

I may get extra security because I work with microbes that are on lists as potential agents that affect national security. I can live with that.

[DCKit]

2. Just don't change your name to that old Arab standby - Kennedy. n/t

[defendandprotect]

3. Evidently, there are hordes of right wingers ready to strip search, always at the ready!!

Our prison guards, another group of ready strip searchers --

Police officers now seem ready to join the group -- strip searching neighbors in

our towns!

Where does right wing insanity end? It doesn't -- it keeps multiplying --!!!

[defendandprotect]

4. misplaced --

and last night on Olberman, one of the guests came very close to labeling this

lastest "attack" as LIHOP for political gain.

Of course 9/11 was MIHOP

and of course this latest bomber is simply more farce --

[defendandprotect]

5. dupe

was carried out by anyone but Cheney/Bush/Blackwater -- MIHOP.

And last night on Olberman, one of the guests came very close to labeling this

lastest "attack" as LIHOP for political gain.

Of course 9/11 was MIHOP

and of course this latest bomber is simply more farce --

[KharmaTrain]

6. They Always Prepare For The Last War...

All the freaking out at the airports is a joke. It's as if our intelligence (SIC) services are dead sure that any future "attacks" will come from some guy in a turban and sheet on an airplane. If I were a "terrorist" I'd laugh my ass off as all the attention on this side is sure to create a hole elsewhere. There's nothing stopping from finding some blonde-haired, blue eyed "bomber"...using the lax enforcement of gun laws in this country to do far more damage than they could on an airplane. Also that we have our own internal "terrorists" that could benefit from the confusion of an attack...blame the A-rabs, just like the inclination was in the hours following the OKC bombing until McVeigh was caught. I always wonder how our "beloved" media would have covered this issue had McVeigh gotten away.

In almost every case of "terrorism" there have been red flags where the perp has operated in plain sight. In such a huge country there are many ways to attack and to focus so much attention and obsession with just one door leaves others wide open. This country has become a bunch of chickenshits...led by a corporate media who knows they can exploit the fear for ratings.

[defendandprotect]

7. Think Cheney and these shoe/underwear bombers are PROVING how unlikely 9/11 . . .

was carried out by anyone but Cheney/Bush/Blackwater -- MIHOP.

And last night on Olberman, one of the guests came very close to labeling this

lastest "attack" as LIHOP for political gain.

Of course 9/11 was MIHOP

and of course this latest bomber is simply more farce --


Note this from a thread I posted today --

Even Obama's mystification of the 9/11 attacks as justification for his war is false. More than two months before the twin towers were attacked, the former Pakistani diplomat Niaz Naik was told by the Bush administration that a US military assault would take place by mid-October. The Taliban regime in Kabul, which the Clinton administration had secretly supported, was no longer regarded as "stable" enough to ensure US control over oil and gas pipelines to the Caspian Sea. It had to go.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7397038

[Taitertots]

8. Young muslim man, paid cash, with known ties to the middle east

with very little luggage. If middle class white men, with a lot of luggage, paying on debt card, atheist,with ties to the suburbs start trying to crash airplanes into buildings then profile me. I would expect that.

They shouldn't search people just for being muslim, black, white, or any other group. They should only be profiled if they have several specific traits, paid cash, from middle east, with sparse luggage.



It sounds like something out of America in the 1930's. I mean it is not like we put thousands of Japanese people in prison camps or anything.

[defendandprotect]

9. We should be profiling the officials who permitted this farce to go forward . . .

[TrogL]

10. How come *I* never get strip searched?

I'm extremely introverted to the borderline of Aspie-dom. I do crappy at eye contact. I give either one word or 10-minute-long-rant answers to questions. Due to some political stuff I'm probably on CSIS's list somewhere or other (probably under "harmless idiot").

I know I need to lose a bit of weight (damn Wii has been nagging me again) but I'm sure I could put on a fairly good show. I won 3rd place at amateur strip night a few years ago.