I don’t think that was her position. I think her position clearly was that these persons should have been subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny in the security process. She said as much in her article.
The woman claimed she was afraid because the men were not subject to closer scrutiny. For instance, the man with the orthopedic shoe or whatever was not screened. Had she known that they were not carrying weapons, I assume she would not have been frightened. Her fear stemmed from he uncertainty as to whether or not they were carrying weapons.
15 Arabs on a Northwestern Airlines plane from Detroit flying to LAX? Could the fact that Detroit has the largest Arab population of any other American city and that LAX is a major hub for Asian destinations have something to do with that? I wonder if this same woman grabs her purse whenever a black man enters an elevator with her.
If they want to do racial profiling for terrorists, why didn’t they start with people who look like Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczinski? Oh yeah, because they were white men. Much easier to be afraid of the brown people than one of your own. Personally, I get tired of being constantly searched in airports, even if the people are friendly most of the time, just because I have the wrong pigmentation. Must be nice to be able to board a plane without people thinking you’re going to kill them.
It bothers me that these people were behaving like this in front of their son who is going to walk away seeing how his parents reacted to these men. That they are instilling xenophobia in a child. And how she thought that the one man would be friendly towards her despite her reactions toward him just because she smiled a fake smile at him. I’m surprised she didn’t start off saying something waspish about having an “Arab friend, but…” in her article.
She said she saw them just before boarding. She doesn’t have a clue about what did or did not happen to any of them before then. She didn’t mention seeing them during any security process at any stage, so how would she be able to judge?
[quote=“fred smith”]No arguments there MT but the link does not give the full article. It is just a intro so you don’t really know what the woman saw or what she experienced.
[/quote]
Bullshit.
Well I read the whole article so why can’t you? Use the mouse thing and click.
Read it again, TM. The lady is truly paranoid. She never witnessed the security area. What bothered her about these Ayrabs? One had a goatee. One limped. One wore a track suit. Some nodded and smiled. One carried a McDonald’s bag. One was assigned a seat near the cockpit. Some got out of their seats during the flight. Random trivia. The lady’s racist and paranoid.
Incidentally, toiletbowlprincess, Fred and TM, if you want to discuss whether racial profiling should be allowed that’s another matter, but so far all those who you are opposing are not discussing that subject at all but are only responding to the posted link by stating that the lady’s racist and paranoid.
I think if everyone got past security, the author needs to take a chill pill. Racial profiling is silly, because all races have proven to be quite handy in terrorist activities, thank you. Just because Muslim types are the current flavor doesn’t mean we won’t have more Tim McVeighs or mainland nutheads hijacking planes. I am in favor of ALL passengers being checked.
Middle-Eastern Americans who complain about being singled out need to relax. I am always the one who has to be double-checked on flights to and from the States, and while it is sometimes uncomfortable and embarrassing, that’s life. It really isn’t that big of a deal. I still get my hot towel and wine on the plane.
If I have to hear about 3,000 innocent lives being lost I will vomit. Aren’t just as many innocent lives lost in Africa A DAY?
[quote=“The Magnificent Tigerman”]I don’t think that was her position. I think her position clearly was that these persons should have been subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny in the security process. She said as much in her article.
[/quote]
I do not for one second doubt that these men underwent any less inspection than she and her family members did. I also don’t doubt that they were looked upon very suspiciously when they underwent inspection and probably were singled out for further inspection. After all, she couldn’t possibly know unless she were standing at the security gates watching every single passenger on that plane pass through (along with the thousands of others who were boarding planes that day). Crazy white men have caused far more terrorism in America than crazy Arab men. How come she’s not calling for white males to be scrutinized more?
Trust me. Everyone gets screened for their shoes. They even have special little mats and machines to inspect your shoes. I doubt that there will ever be a repeat of a shoe-bomber because of all the attention paid to footwear.
Hats, on the other hand, are completely ignored by security…
I think everyone agrees with that.[/quote]
Not this woman. “Terror in the skies again”? Apparently, she thinks that because there were Arab men on the plane she was on that they should be thoroughly searched and treated with suspicion (or that her suspicion was well warranted) just to be allowed onto any American flight. I’d hate to break the news to her, but thousands of Arabs have travelled by plane in the US since 9/11. How many plane hijackings have there been in the US since then? This should be enough to put her racist little mind to rest. Note the word “should”. Paranoid bigots never really feel at ease, do they? Not unless they are in their gated communities locked away from the dangerously multicultured populace outside.
Prove white men have caused more terrorism than Arab males. I would be curious to see how you manage that.
That said, I support racial, sexual and whatever kind of profiling is needed to keep our skies, streets and whatever safe. Insurance companies do it all the time, why not law enforcement?
Also, did you know that by law only two Arabs per flight can be checked? That means that any more than that no matter how suspicious would open the airline to a class action suit for civil rights infringement. How do you feel about that?
When will the left apologize to the families of those murdered on 911?
[quote=“fred smith”]Prove white men have caused more terrorism than Arab males. I would be curious to see how you manage that.
That said, I support racial, sexual and whatever kind of profiling is needed to keep our skies, streets and whatever safe. Insurance companies do it all the time, why not law enforcement?
Also, did you know that by law only two Arabs per flight can be checked? That means that any more than that no matter how suspicious would open the airline to a class action suit for civil rights infringement. How do you feel about that?
When will the left apologize to the families of those murdered on 911?[/quote]
This is a fucking silly and dangerous post Mr. Smith. you want proof of terror committed by white men? OK. The second world war. And that came about because white men had racial profiling as part of their dogma. Your ever-increasing racial slurs are perilously close to squaring the circle in terms of extremism, with those you rail against. So you are outraged at Arabs and you can do what you want. You are extreme. They are outraged at Americans and they must kiss your arse. Bullshit.
And if the reason those who committed 9/11 is people who have the views you just espoused, then there is nothing to apologise for.
(BTW, I am NOT saying that flying into the WTC wasgood thing, before anyone starts)
[color=red]Why The Fuck should ANYONE on the left APOLOGIZE for 9/11??? What a stupid thing to say. STUPID!!! Stand up Fred and give your brain some air…[/color]
After you, Fred Smith, apologize to the families for killing their loved ones as a result of your support of dubya (even though you never voted for him, and in fact never voted in your life, though you are still culpable for supporting such a numbskull), notwithstanding the fact that dubya paid no heed to the warnings and his administration’s “intelligence” gatherers are truly incompetent, and even if the 3,000 hadn’t died in the towers they probably would have died anyway from all the toxic chemicals in the environment ever since dubya has drastically relaxed environmental protection laws in order to profit his cronies. You are a sick killer of babies, FRed, and a lot of dead people deserve your immediate apology.
And another thing, Fred, don’t forget to apologize to the 50 million AIDs orphans because you killed their parents by supporting dubya’s religiously-inspired “just say no” policy on AIDs that has been universally condemned by scientists and those in the know as being barbaric, inhumane and tantamount to a death sentence for millions.
[quote=“butcher boy”][quote=“The Magnificent Tigerman”]
I don’t think that was her position. I think her position clearly was that these persons should have been subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny in the security process. She said as much in her article.
[/quote]
She said she saw them just before boarding. She doesn’t have a clue about what did or did not happen to any of them before then. She didn’t mention seeing them during any security process at any stage, so how would she be able to judge?[/quote]
Sigh… I am not defending this woman. I am not stating that she was right or wrong or reasonable or unreasonable in her fear or opinion.
I am merely stating that she did not opine that Arabs should not be permitted to fly.
If MY statement above is incorrect, please explain how MY statement is incorrect.
Let’s see. We have put an end to the Taliban regime and Saddam Hussein so how in your sick messed up world of moral equivalence are we the killers? Who is killing who in Afghanistan? Who is killing who in Iraq? Are you seriously arguing that George W. has made Afghanistan and Iraq worse? Then why would 2.0 milliion Afghan refugees and 1.5 million Iraqis RETURN home? The terrorists are the ones killing in these nations not us and we have given them hope for the future.
Also, what is wrong with racial, sexual, religious profiling? You merely take averages and use them against a mix of a certain variable or background. Insurance companies use this to calculate risk each and every day, no?
I get pulled over all the time because I have tons of Middle Eastern stamps in my passport. Do you hear me howling about racial or travel profiling? No. Because the risk is heightened. No one has ever refused me entry onto a plane but if I am not complaining why would anyone else? I am profiled EVERY time I fly. EVERY time I go through an airport, I get pulled out of line for additional questioning. If I have no problem with it, why then are you so outraged that I suggest that I agree with profiling? When I am precisely one of the people most affected by it?
