ACLU now wants to stop "Behavioral Profiling" as racist.

While the police at the airport do tend to slow people down, I would rather they did to keep our country safe than see more terrorists get on these planes and have another 911 incident.

So, you want to talk about profiling?

The last six times I have flown, I have been 'searched randomly' by the airport security. One such 'random search' caused me to miss my flight. I opted to stay at the airport rather than take the complimentary hotel room they offered. Upon waking up the next morning and approaching the security gates, I was 'randomly selected by the computers to be searched' again. Fortunately, I did not miss the plane again.

I do not have a problem with them searching me, that is their job. The problem I do have is when they obviously lie to me by telling me six times in a row that their 'computers have randomly chosen me to be screened'. I mean, if I look like a terrorist to you, tell me, don't lie to me. I am American.

 

It's the beard, standingfirminChrist, gotta be the beard! No telling what you are hiding in it!

 

Might mention here that with an artificial knee made of plastic and steel, I ALWAYS trip the buzzer when I walk through that little archway!

So I ALWAYS have to take off my shoes, stand with my arms apart, and get patted down.

I could resent it....or I could start some interesting conversations with the security guards I meet. I've chosen the latter.

I don't mind having the people do the best they can to protect our country, by the way. I wonder if any of those who complain have happened to notice that, despite attempts, the United States has NOT had a terror attack since 9/11. Seems to me the government, in this area, is finally doing what the Constitution asks them to do: provide for the common defense.

 

I have a stainless steel hip joint, so I can't get through the detector either and have to have the 'wand' routine. But now it's been close to 2 years since I have flown anyway. I have shouted "Hurry it up!" a few times before, enough to turn some heads, and that has probably got a few eyes or cameras closing in on me. But the worst mistake I made was when by negligence I was very late for my flight, so late I couldn't check my carry-on sized bag, so I tried to carry it on, then remembered I had taken out my pocket knife and placed it in there. They found it at the gate, of course, and then I missed the flight completely, given the option of mailing the knife back to myself or starting the check-in process all over again (this time checking that bag with the knife inside it) on a later flight. I did the latter. If they ever do pull off one of these jobs with sharp plastic or some material that will not show up on the scanner, then the only thing left will be to physically search every passenger and every thing they are carrying.

 

No, I just thought your allegory was seriously flawed.

Yes, I always assume that others are like me until I learn otherwise. I live a life of constant surprise.

On a tangent - I recently learned my name means "blind"...all these many, many years I had thought it mean "celestial" I've checked and rechecked - "blind" it is.

 

No, I don't Amen falsehoods.

 

I don't care who they profile. Profile away.

We are all profiled for one thing or another anyway, and have been for years.

Some people need to get a grip. There are more things concerning in life than an imagined persecution by profiling.

 

What rails?! I thought the lambs were flying & I was bussing...

I have no idea what you mean. What does "whiplash" mean here? Does it have anything to do with the common neck injury - did my bus crash? - or with making slaves pull the oars? Why would a race baiter - does anyone admit to being one? - hope that I would "whiplash", whatever that means?

Of course, it was a big deal, but are those who died then mourned more than those who died before or since? I'm not laughing.

Um, it's kind of a prerequisite for dying, so I'm pretty sure you're wrong about that.

I suppose the unconceived never live (but they never die either).

What a peculiar point - but I'm pretty sure security workers also live and die.

Hmph! I thought I had a light touch. Oh well, live and learn (then die and, um, God knows).

My point is that race profiling has not been shown to actually work but behavior profiling might - if the poorly-paid airline security guards are properly trained. How likely is that when you figure in turnover and tedium?

In the OP, the ACLU was wrongly, perhaps even mistakenly, portrayed as against any profiling.

 

My point is that race profiling has not been shown to actually work but behavior profiling might - if the poorly-paid airline security guards are properly trained. How likely is that when you figure in turnover and tedium?

In the OP, the ACLU was wrongly, perhaps even mistakenly, portrayed as against any profiling.


Excellent point Daisy. I have no problems whatsoever with behavior profiling. I do however, have problems with racial profiling. I find it interesting that the people who do not have a problem with racial profiling are not usually targeted, (i.e., white). Before anyone attacks, I know white people are profiled also. Racial profiling is NOT effective and can cause unintentional problems for those being profiled. The "inconvenience" of being profiled is easy to live with, it is other factors that make it so wrong. Losing jobs, having your character questioned by others, and embarrassment to name a few. Do any of you know what it is like to lose a job because of racial profiling? Well, I do. Not directly, but through my husband. He had an opportunity to direct a well paying commercial for a local company. On the way to the first day of shooting, which was in an upscale exclusive part of town, he was pulled over. The cop said that our car was registered to someone else, (a transcription error on the dispatchers part), and demanded to search the car. My husband showed the officer our registration and asked him to recheck. The officer refused and called back-up. It took TWO HOURS for them to search the car. They had to VERIFY that the $20,000 worth of film equipment in the car was actually his, as an electronics store had been robbed the night before. The owner of the company happened to be on his way to the shoot and saw the police searching the car. He lost the job, because the owner did not want to be affiliated with anyone suspect by police, even though my husband was completely innocent, and the police had no reason to pull him over in the first place. This is the latest incident that he has experienced in our ten years of marriage. These are not isolated instances. Behavioral profiling is one thing, but racial profiling is wrong and RARELY does it yield successful results. For those who say well what about white people profiled in drug neighborhoods. Well, that is not racial profiling. That is behavioral profiling. This is the point the ACLU is trying to make.

 

Everyone is profiled in one manner or another, either by groups, authorities, medical and scientific statisticians, media, or even other people.

A few cases in point come to mind:

People are profiled by age, and grouped accordingly.

People are profiled by income, and grouped accordingly.

People are profiled by gender, and grouped accordingly.

People are profiled by education, and grouped accordingly.

People are profiled by religion, i.e., Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, other, and/or none.

People are profiled by the numbers of children they have.

People are profiled by whether they are single, married, divorced, or widowed.

People are profiled by the types of automobiles they drive.

People are profiled by the types of pizza they eat.


Everyone of us posting on this board is profiled by some group or marketing company or some study for one reason or another.

Taking offense at profiling is just plain silly, especially if profiling helps defend and protect our borders.

But, if any group can make an issue or big deal out of it, they will, especially if they think there is some sort of money to be made at some future point in time.

 

LE,

Being profiled for marketing is entirely different from being profiled as a possible criminal due to the color of your skin or ethnicity. It has nothing to with money either. If you were always looked at as a criminal because of your skin color you would feel differently, I guarantee you. Behavioral profiling is much more effective than racial profiling will ever be. Why should my husband lose his well paying job because some cop thought he was driving in a neighborhood in which he didn't belong? Why should standingfirminchrist be "randomly" selected to be searched six times because of his race? By singling out one race they are bound to miss criminals of a different race. I personally do not believe that racial profiling is protecting US citizens at all. If they feel the need to search everyone of possible middle eastern descent at our airports for security, then they need to be honest about it. It is not random. As far as racial profiling in other areas, such as local crime, it is not necessary. BTW, how many people do you know who have lost their lives due to racial profiling? I personally know two people. My husband has lost a well paying job that could have helped our family a lot. It is not necessary and it is definitely not American justice, nor is it protecting American citizens.

 

They can't be honest about it. It isn't politically correct & the ACLU and others would be screaming again.

IOW, no matter what they do, the ACLU will be screaming and people will be complaining about their "rights."

Someone close to me could have been killed by police while being in a neighborhood driving the same kind of car that had an APB out for it. The car was profiled. Their weapons were drawn.

 

Someone close to me was nearly killed by police while being in a neighborhood driving the same kind of car that had an APB out for it. The car was profiled.

I'm sorry to hear that, but that is different from being killed because you are black or some other race. A specific car used in a crime is different from a general description of black male 25-30 about 6 feet tall. Do you how many black men aged 25-30 who are six feet tall there are? one of the two that I mentioned was in this exact situation. He was on his way home from church and stopped for fast food. A woman had been raped, 45 minutes earlier, by a possible black or Hispanic male 25-30 and six feet tall, but she was not sure as he was wearing a ski mask, gloves, and dark clothing. My friend was 6'5" and wearing a gray suit. He was taking a short cut through the woman's neighborhood and took the wrong turn. He doubled back so he could make the right turn. Apparently he was suspect because he, a black male, passed the woman's house twice. He was pulled over. The officer who shot him thought he was reaching for a gun when he was taking out his license. He had no idea about the rape, he thought it was a routine traffic stop because he made an illegal U-turn. He died 12 hours later. The cop who shot was new to the force and was reprimanded, but is still on the force. My friend is dead, and his son, born 3 weeks after his death, will never know him. His wife still mourns him and blames herself for missing church that morning because she was tired. Racial profiling is wrong.

 

That is almost what happened to the person I know. A white and black male in the same type car with a white and black male with an APB!!

 

I understand. There was probable cause for your friend to be pulled over for the said crime. There was none for my friend, unless an illegal U-turn is a reason to suspect rapist. There was no description of a car, and if the cop would have checked before pulling him over his license said he 6'5". Five inches is a big difference, not to mention he wasn't even wearing black or dark clothing. He was in a light gray suit, and I believe, a white collared shirt. He wasn't even wearing his jacket.