Can you get more anti-American? (gah this is depressing)

[maxama10]

Just get a bunch of bikini models to do the searches.

"Ooh Oooh! Pick me! Pick me! I need a good frisking! You can racially profile me anytime, baby."

Problem solved. See how easy that is?

amen

[oldsoldier]

Well, its too damned PC to "randomly" search people these days. Last I looked, it wasnt the 80 y/o lady, or the 9 y/o kid that piloted the two planes. nor did they do the London bombings. Get over it. They were middle eastern. Will it offend people? Yup. Will it possibly prevent another hit against us? Moreso than searching a 9 year olds teddy bear will. I am all for the profiling. Its about time someone steeped forward and said "look, these "random" searches arent random, when we are deliberatley NOT searching people of mideastern descent, for fear of bad PR". Oh well. Welcome to OUR Jihad.

[Pacifist_Farmer]

This is one of those subjects with no good solution.

Army: I have nothing but respect for anyone who puts themself in harms way in order to insure my safety, I also have nothing but regret for all the people in the world who are stepped on daily by those of us who want more of everything. I think the condition Iraq is in is tragic. In fact I think the condition most of the world is in is tragic.

I do my best not to judge, if I don't have all the facts I try not to express an opinion, because I would merely be expressing the opinion of someone with more T.V. face time than his opponent.

If Racial Profiling is the answer by all means do it, but don't hide it like it is some family secret. Doesn't that seem like a good way to deter todays terrorists? Search every individual of Arab decent. But I want equality, next time some middle aged white guy starts eating his neighbors, or blowing up buildings I want every middle aged white guy in the country searched and tagged.

If we are going to live in a quasi-totalitarian environment it makes much more sense to just go all the way and live under an iron fisted dictatorship. If we are trying to actually live in a "Democracy" (I think its just an ideal like communism, or the golden rule), lets set aside our bigotry and hate and actually do it.

I think we need to define "American" before this goes any further.

[NJPaint]

Well, its too damned PC to "randomly" search people these days. Last I looked, it wasnt the 80 y/o lady, or the 9 y/o kid that piloted the two planes. nor did they do the London bombings. Get over it. They were middle eastern. Will it offend people? Yup. Will it possibly prevent another hit against us? Moreso than searching a 9 year olds teddy bear will. I am all for the profiling. Its about time someone steeped forward and said "look, these "random" searches arent random, when we are deliberatley NOT searching people of mideastern descent, for fear of bad PR". Oh well. Welcome to OUR Jihad.

This is the thing... Nobody has ever said that random searches are good. This isn't a This or That decision.

[slade]

If Racial Profiling is the answer by all means do it, but don't hide it like it is some family secret. Doesn't that seem like a good way to deter todays terrorists? Search every individual of Arab decent. But I want equality, next time some middle aged white guy starts eating his neighbors, or blowing up buildings I want every middle aged white guy in the country searched and tagged.

but wait, middle aged white guys are the voters, and THEY dont want to be searched...

[Steelrat]

Its real easy to talk about "rights" and "values" when its not your kids, family members, and friends being blown up and murdered. I'd be willing to bet money that people would change their tune if an attack struck a lot closer to home.

If Muslims want to prevent backlash against them and their religion, they better step up efforts to reform their religion.

[Eagle]

If Racial Profiling is the answer by all means do it, but don't hide it like it is some family secret. Doesn't that seem like a good way to deter todays terrorists? Search every individual of Arab decent. But I want equality, next time some middle aged white guy starts eating his neighbors, or blowing up buildings I want every middle aged white guy in the country searched and tagged.

Don't Mcvey and Dahmer fall into that catagory?



Listen folks, there is NO perfect answer. This a damned if you damned if you don't type situation. The people who are getting searched, whether it's random or selective are going to ***** about it. Trust me, after 4 years of guarding a nuclear submarine, both home and abroad, in peace and war, in green zones and war zones, after conducting both random and selective searches, there is no perfect answer. If we don't search, and nothing happens, then everything is alright. If we search and find something, then we've done our job. If we don't search, and something happens, we screwed up. If we search, and don't find something, but something happens, then we screwed up. The problem is, we won't know untill it is to late. And then people will *****. Damned if you do damned if you don't. There are valid arguements on all sides. The constitusion gaurentees peoples rights, but it is not a suicide pact. The fact is that we are in a world war right now, and no one wants to bring back the systems of political, economic, and martial programs that helped us to win in the past.

[NJPaint]

Its real easy to talk about "rights" and "values" when its not your kids, family members, and friends being blown up and murdered. I'd be willing to bet money that people would change their tune if an attack struck a lot closer to home.

If Muslims want to prevent backlash against them and their religion, they better step up efforts to reform their religion.

I watched the 2nd plane hit the WTC. I had 6 close friends who lost parents. My neighbor's husband was killed on the 96th floor of tower 2. I stood on the palisades overlooking the city and watched the burning buildings. I had teachers that left for the day to man their ambulance crews in Manhattan and watched them break down in class after what happened when they tried to relay what it was like there. All in all 13 people that I knew died on 9/11, 3 of them were relatively close to me, although none of them a relative. I saw the pain, I saw the frustration, I saw the anger, first hand. I witnessed my church come together as it never had before. I saw Arabs, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics and Asians stand together in solidarity after the attacks. Don't tell me that its "real easy" to talk about rights and values. I was brought up as an American. I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. I was taught to honor and respect our veterens and our men and women in arms. I was taught to respect our flag and I was taught to respect and admire the country itself, how it was founded, and why the constitution is so powerful as a living document. I'll be damned if you people want to destroy what the United States stands for. Time after time in US history have people said that we have needed to forsake our constitution and our liberties. But nobody seems to remember what happened afterwards.

I have never met an Arab or a Muslim (I worked in an arab community) that has ever complained about being searched. Every single one of them has told me, if it costs me 2 minutes of my time to keep this country safe, it is worth it. They take the attitude of JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". I share their view. All they ask is that while this happens they are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve as American citizens. What they don't want is blind hatred and suspicion because of their race, ethnicity, skin color or religion.

[Jeffy-CanCon]

children haven't been used to attack us, nor have old people. thats what i mean.

as to a 15 year old being searched, i've seen plenty of sketchy 15 year olds.

Children have not been used to attack the USA, or any Western country (AFAIK), but the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka use children as suicide bombers. From what I've read, they invented the whole suicide bomber idea, so it's not unreasonable to think that children may be used by other extremists in the future.

... to flat out say that one ethnic group is better than another or to treat them as any different than anyone else is flat out unamerican.

Historically, racism is as American as apple pie or baseball. American laws have discriminated against blacks, natives, hispanics, Chinese and Hawaiians.


I have no problem with racial profiling. I accept and understand that it might be humiliating on a personal level, but we all need to realize that this sort of thing is done to protect everyone, including the innocent people being searched.

[Chris42050]

All this searching of people at Airports is a joke anyway. It won't stop an attack. The only thing it does is give the American citizen the illusion of saftey. If people want to hijack planes again they will. All random searches do is take more of our freedom away for the illusion of safety. I am sick of the politicians and media making more of these terrorist attcks then they are and making everyone so scared that they give away thier freedoms so quickly and easily for a little feeling of security. Many Americans needs to grow some balls and stop giving away our freedoms that were fought so hard for and this counrty was founded on.

[MadPSIence]

And you are who again?

This entire thread makes me happy that children like yourselves aren't in charge of public policy in this country.

Idiots.

Now I know why I took 6 months off from this asylum. The inmates are running it.

FactsOfLife - Don't even bother with the idiot. He can't reply with anything but flaming crap to anyone's posts he doesn't whore-heartedly agree with.

[rehme]

"Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety."

-Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

[MadPSIence]

"Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety."

-Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

yeah because national security in 1759 had an even microscopic resemblance to it's form and importance of the modern day?

just because you can quote big ben franklin doesn't mean it's very relevant to modern day.

[SCpoloRicker]

I am thankful for everything that the US armed forces do for me and this country. But if you are asking me to accept your self admitted biases against an ethnic group, I'm sorry, but I can't do it. Everyone has prejudices, and I accept that. I am the same way. I am human. But to flat out say that one ethnic group is better than another or to treat them as any different than anyone else is flat out unamerican.

*golfclap*

Well stated.

[MadPSIence]

*golfclap*

Well stated.

almost. profiling has nothing to do with one enthic group being better than another. peole that care more about their 2 minutes than their country simply act like martyrs and try to make it look like the system is based purely on prejudice and not on reason.