Posted on 07/22/2005 8:33:15 AM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that terrorists come "in all sizes and shapes and forms" and it wouldn't be fair for police to profile terrorism suspects on the basis of a Middle Eastern appearance.
Asked about the city's random stop and search policy, which Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Thursday would forbid racial profiling, Bloomberg told WABC Radio host John Gambling: "I think if we've learned anything, it is, you can't predict what a terrorist looks like."
"You want to have restrictions [on police terrorism searches]," Bloomberg explained. "You want to have the police to have the burden of being very careful and never discriminating."
"If you think that everybody with blue eyes is a terrorist, you can't just stop everybody with blue eyes," he added. "Terrorists come in all sizes and shapes and forms."
When Gambling reminded that "a higher percentage of them come from a certain section of the world," Bloomberg acknowledged: "That is true."
"But John," the mayor shot back, "the essence of our freedom is that you are presumed innocent - you're innocent until proven guilty. The presumption of innocence is the fundamental [value] of our society. And you just can't go and say everybody who has blue eyes - my example - is a terrorist just because most terrorists that you've caught have blue eyes."
Bloomberg acknowledged that his profiling ban would make it easier for terrorists to succeed in their next attack, but still insisted the practice was "unreasonable."
"It is just not a reasonable, not a rational - nothing that we want in our society," he maintained. "That does make it more difficult for the police - yes. But it's been more difficult for 235 years and we've kept the democracy and that's the challenge that we have to meet."
Wrapping up on the topic, Bloomberg caught himself profiling terrorists by sex - then quickly amended his comments, telling WABC:
"If you had no restrictions [on police searches]; number one, you'd give up all our freedoms; and number two, I don't know that you'd necessarily do any better at catching the bad guys - or that they are guys."
Who was it this morning, Kerik I think was gleefully saying that the events of the last two weeks have gotten us to a point where the public will ACCEPT random searches whereas two weeks ago there would have been a huge outcry and protest.
I hear people are going to be wearing t-shirts that say "I DO NOT CONSENT." I usually hate things like this, but I don't like getting mugged by the authorities in the airport, and the idea that they're going to be doing this on the street (and escalating as time goes on) is horrfying, horrfying.
OTOH, I'm the one that's been calling for a dictator, and New York, I think you got one. You need to get rid of that joker Bloomberg. He's bad news. If you gotta have a dictator, you at least need one that points the gun in the right direction. Perhaps they never do.
This is four years since 2001, don't you have a chance to get rid of him this fall?
And even then it's still not clear that a middle-eastern looking John Doe #2 wasn't involved.
This sanctimonious SOB is part of the problem... and the cost of his ignorance will be paid in the blood of innocents.
Ya think they're saying one thing and doing another? If not, Bloomberg should be hung out to dry.
We have a presumption of innocence, surely. However, profiling does NOT presume you are guilty. You are presumed guilty when I profile some camel jockey, open his robes and find a bomb belt on him. Up until the moment I saw the bomb belt I DID NOT presume his guilt. Mayor, you are hopelessly, irreversably, ignorant and belong in a six foot hole, resting.
And, even the OKC bombing possibly had ME connections. Point well taken, though, hundreds, if not thousands, of terrorist acts committed by middle easterners vs. ONE by a non ME.
Exactly what is the unfair part?
"I think if we've learned anything, it is, you can't predict what a terrorist looks like."
What? When did we learn that? It is demostratably false just by looking at the pictures of known terrorists.
"If you think that everybody with blue eyes is a terrorist, you can't just stop everybody with blue eyes," he added.
How is this solved by stopping everybody? His argument seems to be that a middle eastern 25 year old male would be less offended if he was just one of many randomly stopped rather than stopped because he fit the actual profile of a terrorist. Either way, the guy is searched. How he feels about it is irrelevant and those concerned about such things are succumbing to the cancer of political correctness.
The bottom line is that random stops will do nothing to solve the problem and only infringe on 4th amendment rights. I believe that is could be successfully argued that a policy of profiling based on what we know from experience, is not unreasonable (as in "unreasonable search") and does not violate the 4th amendment.
Finally, let's say they are randomly searching every 12th person through the door. Why? Will it deter a terrorist because he thinks he might be stopped? Wouldn't it deter him even more if he knew he fit a profile.
Additionally, you could have the ridiculous circumstance of an 80 year old woman falling in the 12th position and being searched while a 19 year old middle eastern male with a big backpack was waived through simply because he was 11th.
In sum, profile or don't stop anyone.
To say that Bloomberg is an idiot is a shameful insult to idiots around the world.
A traitorous man who wants innocent people to die is more like it.
-Bloomberg acknowledged that his profiling ban would make it easier for terrorists to succeed in their next attack, but still insisted the practice was "unreasonable."-
Guys like Bloomberg are in charge. They take care of the Mexico problem for us, too. *sigh*
Any leader who thinks this way is too chicken hearted to be a leader...Bloomberg is too morally weak to be in power.
And we have got a shiite load of 'men' like him in leadership positions in nearly every govt. office
We need war chiefs not political correct finger in the wind weenies
imo
It is also unfortunate that those wiley Norwegiens all look alike. Instead of profiling those with blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin we need to expand the hunt for Norwegien insurgents to include those with dark hair and eyes with swarthy skin. We also should avoid profiling Lutherans just cause so many are Norwegien ancestory but instead be sure to include Muslims in our dogged pursuit of terrorists.
"...and it wouldn't be fair for police to profile terrorism suspects on the basis of a Middle Eastern appearance..."
Well of course Mr. Mayor, because of the 19 terrorists who crashed airplanes into the WTC, Pentagon and in the fields of Pennsyvania or the HUNDREDS of other examples of terroristic acts, many of them had that "Gladys Kravitz in a wheelchair" look!!! Wake the f%&@k up, Mr. Mayor and stop pandering to all of this PC bullsh*t!!!
YOU DIDN'T GET THE OLYMPICS!!! (THANK GOD)
So start making decisions that'll keep us safe instead of decisions that'll make us grab our ankles...
How insane...the chances of an old caucasian woman blowing herself to bits in a bus vs. an young olive-skinned male carrying a backpack are worlds apart. BRING IN THE ISRAELIS!!
No, he has a mental disorder.... called liberalism. And yes, he needs to be relieved of duty.
Husband of the junior senator from NY.
search anyone with a beard and olive skin or a hajib over their head (the rag in raghead)...
He's correct of course. Some are short Muslim men aged 17 to 35 of Arab descent. Others are tall Muslim men aged 17 to 35 of Arab descent. A few might be heavy-set Muslim men aged 17 to 35 of Arab descent while there are those who are slender Muslim men aged 17 to 35 of Arab descent. We might find bearded Muslim men aged 17 to 35 of Arab descent and clean shaven Muslim men aged 17 to 35 of Arab descent.
yep, they *do* come in all sizes and shapes and forms!
If that's what the mayor thinks he's learned, then he's an moron. And when I use the term moron, I mean it in a technical sense, not a rhetorical sense.
What we've really learned from all the terror attacks is that profiling is not only in order, it's well past its due date.
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