Michelle Malkin ping! Go UCB Republicans!
Posted on 09/08/2004 11:20:50 PM PDT by risk
Opinion
Racial Profiling Not Racism
Profiling Can Be Intelligent Way to Prevent Future Terrorism
BY Ethan Lutske
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
Political conversations are supposed to be dispassionate. Ideally, we should be able to bandy about ideas freely, in a place where all notions and suggestions are given due consideration, deconstructed through logic, unencumbered by the weighing anchor of fragile emotion. But it rarely happens. A controversial idea will be inevitably blindsided by the accusation of intolerance toward some group. Racist. Sexist. Homophobe. Bigot.
Coming to campus tomorrow is a very controversial speaker, one who no doubt will be tagged with an aforementioned stain. Michelle Malkin is someone who advocates for racial profiling. A columnist and author, she is giving a lecture in favor of taking someone’s race, religion, and national origin into account when deciding how we should treat them for national security purposes. To these ends, she claims, we were right to be wary of the Japanese in World War II, and we are right to be wary of Islamic Arabs now. Sounds a bit racist, no? Well, I agree with her.
Although it sounds like a cliché, this country is facing a renewed crisis. We’ve faced them before, and we will face them again. Right now, we have a specific enemy, one we can control, one we can defeat. But we can’t do it by blindly ignoring who our enemy is in the name of political correctness.
Terrorists are not random people. They do not come equally from Nova Scotia, Finland, and Saudi Arabia. As much as it is difficult to confront it, our enemies today are mainly Arab, and mainly Islamic. Yes, there is the occasional Timothy McVeigh, but they do not represent the norm, if such a word can be used here.
And so I join with Ms. Malkin in advocating judicious use of racial and religious criteria in some security procedures. It’s not because I bear any ill will toward any groups which might be included.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I support this idea because it is the best way to ensure the safety and the liberties of all Americans. To take notice that 16 of the 19 hijackers were Arab Muslims from Saudi Arabia is not being racist. As Dennis Miller says, it’s being minimally observant.
Racism is a blot to be sparingly used. There are true racists in this world, those who call for the extermination and degradation of Jews, Muslim, Blacks, whoever. But an honest person shouldn’t have to tip-toe around the issue, trying to avoid the smudge of racism. We should all be able to read, think, and talk critically, kneading ideas without having a visceral reaction of recoil and dismissal.
I’ve been called a racist before, and I’m sure I’ll be called a racist again. But this isn’t a reason to change ones views. When I look at the facts, when I look at how our world is currently constituted, I see what I see. This is a time when the overriding motives and characteristics of those who wish to kill us are inextricably sewn up with race and religion. Am we supposed to ignore this?
We have just seen yet another example of Islamic fanatic terrorism in Russia. But the world seems to be ignoring the fact that these perpetrators were Islamic extremists. Are we to ignore reality in favor of a more comforting mirage?
We attend one of the great academic institutions in the world. We should be able to listen to ideas. Tomorrow night a woman is coming here with an idea that seems offensive to some: that we should put a little extra scrutiny on someone simply because of the color of their skin. Dr. King would be dismayed. But he didn’t have to face this threat.
No serious person advocates rounding up all Muslims, but to take their religion and national origin into account, to add those qualities to a list of other possible criteria, seems reasonable, and in fact, necessary. You think it’s offensive and racist? That does me no good. But, you have a logical and rational reason why it’s useless? Then come speak to me. I’d love to be proven wrong. I’m sure Ms. Malkin would also.
To advocate scrutiny based on race is an unpleasant necessity. But it’s what my logical mind tells me. So, think about it. Civilly debate it. Listen to the arguments. Then, please, tell me why I’m wrong.
Ethan Lutske is a third-year UC Berkeley political science student. Respond at opinion@dailycal.org.
(c) 2003 The Daily Californian
Berkeley, CA
dailycal@dailycal.org
Michelle Malkin speaking event on Wednesday, Sept 8! On Wednesday, September 8th, the Berkeley College Republicans will be hosting Fox News analyst and bestselling author Michelle Malkin. She will be speaking about her latest book, In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror. Mrs. Malkin adds desperately needed perspective to the ongoing debate about the balance between civil liberties and national security. The event will be held in 145 Dwinelle at 7 pm.
Please note that no large signs or banners will be allowed into the room. In addition, we ask that everyone show Mrs. Malkin respect by not interrupting her during the speech.
Michelle Malkin ping! Go UCB Republicans!
We don't need to use racial profiling at airport security. It isn't very reliable anyway. Some radical Muslims don't happen to be Arab.
Instead, why not serve a mandatory pork Slim Jim before boarding! :)
Because observant Jews would be offended.
Ha! You get the watermellon bombers at the same time...
No Slim Jim? ==> STRIP SEARCH and NO CARRYONS!
See, no racial profiling is necessary! :)
According to Chris Matthews, Michelle Malkin also READS BOOKS.
The woman has to be stopped.
Some brilliant Freeper (not me) suggested that each airline have the following feature at the jetway entrance:
PAT THE PIG
From the maniacal faces seen among the protesters would suggest they agree.
One cannot "advocate" for a term that was made up out of whole cloth precisely to be something to be railed against, not for what it is, but for what it isn't. "Racial Profiling" is, by definition, wrong. Unfortunately, it doesn't end there - because of who gets to define what "it" is - and what it "is". In the modern world where not much gets done other than a whole lot of verbal diahreah, word meanings constantly mutate according to the needs of the moment - start out with an innocuous, reasonable definition, say, harassment of specific racial groups without cause due to prejudicial hatred - Of course that's wrong.
Except, it doesn't end there. The much vaunted self-appointed experts decide that what was formerly known as "Good Police Work" is really evidence of some sort of mental defect, and to expiate our collective guilt it's necessary to strip search grandmothers and divest same of their fingernail clippers, all in order so that everyone undergoes some equal form of misery. Makes you feel good, don't it?
Hey, risk, you have to pit me on any Michelle Malkin ping list for now :o)
Hi tame, my ping lists are dynamic. I look for keywords and for people who often ping me on the same subjects... I'll remember to ping you if you often ping me :)
First Lady Laura Bush said that we're entering a new era of pamphelteering in America, much like the days before the American revolution. Hmmm, your post has the flavor and the fire. She could be right.
Okay :o) I used to keep ping lists, but lately I've been going off the top of my head. I need to organize ping lists for certain subjects (pro-life ping, illegal alien ping, etc.)
It's too bad we don't have a ping list management system. Your personal preferences could indicate if you wanted invitations, and you could maintain your own lists, as well.
If what Lutske wants is reason, he's picked the wrong campus. All a conservative speaker will find here is screaming and violence and that's the way the faculty and administration want it. Wish I could find that photo of the campus book burners. These students looked just like their counterparts in 1936 nazi Germany. Michelle will be lucky to get away from these screeching animals in one piece.
Yes, that would be nice!
Did you make it to the event?
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