For God Sake: Profile.
And now to piss a few more people off....
I have little problem with profiling. There seems to be technology out there that would stop future crotch bombers. It also seems that it will be years before it's in place everywhere. When, and if, it finally is - there will no doubt be ways to evade it. Nothing will stop the smart and determined killer intent on killing. However, we can make it much harder for them to kill.
In the (very) mean time we ought to profile. It's an immediately available tool. And it's do-able. The plane bombers from 1993 on are pretty consistent demographically. The Detroit incident would not have happened - and nearly succeeded - if the Nigerian kid who paid cash and checked no bags had been pulled aside. The Fort Hood massacre would not have happened had the killer been profiled and had that profile been acted on. It's a damn shame many innocent and good people will be picked out of a line, embarrassed, and inconvenienced. And some will be the brunt of bigotry and discrimination. That is awful. It should offend the sensibilities of all good people. And all good people will have to deal with it and get over it.
It's hard to stomach seeing our elected officials insisting they are doing everything in their power to stop these events when they are not. For God's sake: Profile.
The deification of feelings needs to end. It is poison. Potential hurt feelings are not more important than the possible murder of scores of innocents. Our national history of discrimination does not take precedence here either. We are not obligated to treat everyone exactly the same at airline ticket counters.
Though I must add that even profiling of certain demographics will fail. Lily white jihadists pop up and will continue to. I'd even say that working class white men with mass murder on their mind will see a growth spurt in the coming years....if not months... Frankly, white American dudes in pick up trucks outside Federal buildings ought to be profiled as well.
Is it unfortunate that it's come to this? Yes, it surely is. Yet, it has. Get over it.
I have little problem with profiling. There seems to be technology out there that would stop future crotch bombers. It also seems that it will be years before it's in place everywhere. When, and if, it finally is - there will no doubt be ways to evade it. Nothing will stop the smart and determined killer intent on killing. However, we can make it much harder for them to kill.
In the (very) mean time we ought to profile. It's an immediately available tool. And it's do-able. The plane bombers from 1993 on are pretty consistent demographically. The Detroit incident would not have happened - and nearly succeeded - if the Nigerian kid who paid cash and checked no bags had been pulled aside. The Fort Hood massacre would not have happened had the killer been profiled and had that profile been acted on. It's a damn shame many innocent and good people will be picked out of a line, embarrassed, and inconvenienced. And some will be the brunt of bigotry and discrimination. That is awful. It should offend the sensibilities of all good people. And all good people will have to deal with it and get over it.
It's hard to stomach seeing our elected officials insisting they are doing everything in their power to stop these events when they are not. For God's sake: Profile.
The deification of feelings needs to end. It is poison. Potential hurt feelings are not more important than the possible murder of scores of innocents. Our national history of discrimination does not take precedence here either. We are not obligated to treat everyone exactly the same at airline ticket counters.
Though I must add that even profiling of certain demographics will fail. Lily white jihadists pop up and will continue to. I'd even say that working class white men with mass murder on their mind will see a growth spurt in the coming years....if not months... Frankly, white American dudes in pick up trucks outside Federal buildings ought to be profiled as well.
Is it unfortunate that it's come to this? Yes, it surely is. Yet, it has. Get over it.
posted by John Smart at
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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