Why racial profiling won't keep planes safe.

[justmaybetiger]

In 1986, who attempted to smuggle three pounds of explosives onto an El Al jetliner bound from London to Tel Aviv?
a. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
b. Michael Smerconish
c. Bob Mould
# d. A pregnant Irishwoman named Anne Murphy

In 1962, in the first-ever successful sabotage of a commercial jet, a Continental Airlines 707 was blown up with dynamite over Missouri by:
a. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
b. Ann Coulter
c. Henry Rollins
# d. Thomas Doty, a 34-year-old American passenger, as part of an insurance scam

In 1994, who nearly succeeding in skyjacking a DC-10 and crashing it into the Federal Express Corp. headquarters?
a. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
b. Michelle Malkin
c. Charlie Rose
# d. Auburn Calloway, an off-duty FedEx employee and resident of Memphis, TN

In 1974, who stormed a Delta Air Lines DC-9 at Baltimore-Washington Airport, intending to crash it into the White House, and shot both pilots?
a. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
b. Joe Scarborough
c. Spalding Gray
# d. Samuel Byck, an unemployed tyre salesman from Philadelphia

[DaHood]

Over the 32 year span of these events, how many thousands of people died in all of these events combined? What group was behind each of these events and have they vowed to commit such acts again?

[markalot]

-On the 18 April 1986, a pregnant Irishwoman named Anne Murphy was about to board an El Al flight at London's Heathrow Airport when her bag was found to contain 3 pounds of plastic explosives. The explosives had been planted by her fiancée Nezar Hindawi who was to go on a separate flight. Hindawi was jailed for 45 years, the longest sentence ever delivered by a British court. Murphy, who had been duped, later gave birth to their daughter. There was evidence that Syrian officials were involved. Britain cut off diplomatic relations with Syria.


As far as the rest ... I'm not sure I understand. Would you like me to list the thousands of incidents involving muslim extremists and compare them with the hundreds not involving ME's, then calculate the odds?


But in reality racial profiling doesn't work because of issues like Anne Murray ... I mean Murphy. If we profile muslims then they'll get willing or unwilling sheep to do the work.

[skidminix]

Man, the old trick of guessing C for everything didn't work here, huh? I always thought Bob Mould was pretty shady...

[DaHood]

Man, the old trick of guessing C for everything didn't work here, huh? I always thought Bob Mould was pretty shady...
Well he is gay. And you know how dangerous those gays are....

I bet he could commit the most fabulous hijacking ever.

[justmaybetiger]

-On the 18 April 1986, a pregnant Irishwoman named Anne Murphy was about to board an El Al flight at London's Heathrow Airport when her bag was found to contain 3 pounds of plastic explosives. The explosives had been planted by her fiancée Nezar Hindawi who was to go on a separate flight. Hindawi was jailed for 45 years, the longest sentence ever delivered by a British court. Murphy, who had been duped, later gave birth to their daughter. There was evidence that Syrian officials were involved. Britain cut off diplomatic relations with Syria.


As far as the rest ... I'm not sure I understand. Would you like me to list the thousands of incidents involving muslim extremists and compare them with the hundreds not involving ME's, then calculate the odds?


But in reality racial profiling doesn't work because of issues like Anne Murray ... I mean Murphy. If we profile muslims then they'll get willing or unwilling sheep to do the work.
Theres no need to calculate odds, the truth is evil doesn't look like anything. If we choose to only profile some one that looks Arabic to us or has a funny name fuck knows what else we could miss.

[markalot]

Theres no need to calculate odds, the truth is evil doesn't look like anything. If we choose to only profile some one that looks Arabic to us or has a funny name fuck knows what else we could miss.

But if you play the odds then keeping all arab looking people off planes will work, in the short term. I'm just saying don't diss racial profiling with the wrong reason.

[Shlep]

Well he is gay. And you know how dangerous those gays are....

I bet he could commit the most fabulous hijacking ever.

Indeed. It'd be an event long remembered for its considerable flair and panache as much as its shocking lethality. :D

I favor sexual profiling, since like 90% of violent crimes I think are committed by guys.

Plus it was the inspiration for perhaps the greatest, and most timeless song in Marin Gaye's entire catalog...oh, wait. Never mind. :D

Anyway. enough with the silly...

...I think racial profiling has some merit and use as a component of thwarting terrorism, but not as the main focus. Fact of the matter is that it's simply too narrow in scope and open to being thwarted. Have Arabic men been well-represented in terror attacks? Of course. However, virulently radical, militant Islamic terrorist cells who are willing (or who have) pulled off terrorist attacks have been based out of the Phillipines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Chechnya, and Bali. Zacharious Moussaeui (fuck, I'm too lazy to look up how to spell his damnably complex name) doesn't look to me like the poster boy for jihad any more than shoe-bombing failure Richard Reid, who looks to me like someone who I'd expect to see playing hacky-sack at Bonaroo, not blowing up a plane. And I very seriously doubt a guy like John Walker Lind, the son of earnest California liberals who converted to Islam and joined the frickin' Taliban would get flagged as being in the service of wild-eyed Qu'ran-waving fundies.

Conversely, law enforcement agents profiling potential radicals might take a very keen interest in a young Muslim man in his 20s who is half-Saudi, mostly raised and educated in Saudi Arabia (a major hotbed of radical Islamic agitators, from recruiting to organizing to funding to arming), worldly, educated, perfectly fluent in English and Arabic, and who in his dress, speech, mannerisms, and most of all appearance (due to his having a white mother) can pass effortlessly as being any average American college student and not arouse an iota of suspicion. A guy who has all the hallmarks of a suicidal terrorist with few or none of the liabilities (especially since I'm sure Al Queda could doctor up some phoney IDs and credit cards giving him the name "Steve Williams" or something). Yet I think most of us here would be overwhelmed with a mixture of shock and bemusement upon finding out that Useless Tomato was hauled in for interrogation by Homeland Security.

[DaHood]

Conversely, law enforcement agents profiling potential radicals might take a very keen interest in a young Muslim man in his 20s who is half-Saudi, mostly raised and educated in Saudi Arabia (a major hotbed of radical Islamic agitators, from recruiting to organizing to funding to arming), worldly, educated, perfectly fluent in English and Arabic, and who in his dress, speech, mannerisms, and most of all appearance (due to his having a white mother) can pass effortlessly as being any average American college student and not arouse an iota of suspicion.
OMG. Somebody call the FBI. I think useless tomato is about to bomb something!!

[Dirk]

Racial profiling only works if you assume the people you are trying to catch are morons (which granted, some of them are, but I would say far from the majority of them). Once there is a pattern for who will be searched, you simply send someone on a few routine flights without a bomb. If they make it through all those flights without being searched, you can be fairly sure they can make it the next time without being searched as well. Narrowing your focus makes it much easier for people to ensure that they are using people who don't meet your criteria. At least with random searches, you always have the same percentage chance of catching the person.

[jcarwash31]

Some US airports are starting a new program where they look for suspicious behavior. I know it sounds crazy, but they believe that people who have bombs might behave differently than regular people regardless of race. :rolleyes: I kind of just assumed they already did this. It seems a little obvious.

[Duemellon]

You guys think DaHood is kidding.

I've seen pictures of Yusef in the middle east & I know he has close ties there. He may only be ½ Middle Eastern, but really, he just needs to be caught up in the net.

I understand this. After all, whenever I was pulled over for driving so they could check my license I was sure to thank them for pulling me over to make sure I wasn't committing a crime because lord knows I'd've thought I was too.

Maybe, just as Frost said, it would be best to do the gender-based screening? It's just as hard to disguse your sex as it is your race, right? An overwhelming amount of the terrorists involved are males (I'd go as high as 99%). Sure, this means that Shlep & MaL might get caught in the net, but that's the way it works.

Being absurd? Really, it makes more sense.

[DaHood]

You guys think DaHood is kidding.

Being absurd? Really, it makes more sense.Anyone who's ever met Yusef realizes just how absurd my last post is. :p

[Duemellon]

Anyone who's ever met Yusef realizes just how absurd my last post is. :pNo, even if they met him. He doesn't have to walk around dripping with hate for the US. He could be walking around with a t-shirt saying "I <3 NY" but written on the inside is "...burning."

Since he's Middle Eastern, he should be watched by hawkeyes.

DaHood, what's your nationality btw?

[aqualou]

No, even if they met him. He doesn't have to walk around dripping with hate for the US.
careful . . . Yusef will force feed you cookies with dates . . . some know what i'm talking about, but whenever i see him . . . cookie time!

[DaHood]

No, even if they met him. He doesn't have to walk around dripping with hate for the US. He could be walking around with a t-shirt saying "I <3 NY" but written on the inside is "...burning."

Since he's Middle Eastern, he should be watched by hawkeyes.

DaHood, what's your nationality btw?
He drinks. Islamic extremists do not drink.

I am Irish, Norwegian and Mexican. But mostly I'm American.

[Duemellon]

He drinks. Islamic extremists do not drink.

I am Irish, Norwegian and Mexican. But mostly I'm American.Mexican?

You still bitter about that Spanish-American war aren't you?!?! or the whole TX, CA, NM, thing aren't you? You should be profiled!

& yes, Islamic extremists DO drink. Just as Catholics have out-of-wedlock sex, Presbyterians swear, & Baptists watch porn. They're individuals & have their own temptations & trials they must face. I'm saying Yusef is one of them!

Someone should be profiling his ass.

[DaHood]

Mexican?

You still bitter about that Spanish-American war aren't you?!?! or the whole TX, CA, NM, thing aren't you? You should be profiled!

& yes, Islamic extremists DO drink. Just as Catholics have out-of-wedlock sex, Presbyterians swear, & Baptists watch porn. They're individuals & have their own temptations & trials they must face. I'm saying Yusef is one of them!

Someone should be profiling his ass.You're right I'm pissed off. You pendejos should all pay!!!

My brother once mentioned that because our last name sounds much like Atta, that we would end up being profiled. I never had that happen. However, my dad got a visit from the INS one night. There were a dozen of them ready to take him down. It seems that some Mexican national had the same exact name as his and was wanted because he was here illegally. The clincher is that my dad was born in the USA, a natural born citizen who lived here his entire life. Not only that, he was a war veteran who served his country and had always been very proud of that. It was just a lucky thing that they noticed that he had a left hand because the man they were looking for did not.

They all had a bit of a laugh over it, but who knows what might have happened if it hadn't been for the (non) missing appendage.

[weeone]

Someone should be profiling his ass.

)) <----a profile of Yusef's ass.

[berzerker]

Mexican?

You still bitter about that Spanish-American war aren't you?!?! or the whole TX, CA, NM, thing aren't you? You should be profiled!

& yes, Islamic extremists DO drink. Just as Catholics have out-of-wedlock sex, Presbyterians swear, & Baptists watch porn. They're individuals & have their own temptations & trials they must face. I'm saying Yusef is one of them!

Someone should be profiling his ass.

Where the fuck do you get off, saying that shit? Asshole.

[markalot]

Where the fuck do you get off, saying that shit? Asshole.

I think he was exagerrating to make a point. This hatred of all things Due seems to be more of a cult movement than anything rational.

[drougan]

I think he was exagerrating to make a point. This hatred of all things Due seems to be more of a cult movement than anything rational.


Yeah but if you check Berserkr's quoted text, you'll see that his post was a joke too :p

[markalot]

Yeah but if you check Berserkr's quoted text, you'll see that his post was a joke too :p


haha I get it now.

whooosh

some days, i tell ya

[charniga]

...because snakes on planes are the REAL problem...



sorry, i had to...