[R.W.Ratikal]

Yes, many pilots are now armed. Airport screening might catch a terrorists, although none have been caught by airport screeners yet.

A better way to protect air travelers is to profile. A better way yet is to keep Arabs off the airplane. An even better way is to keep Arabs out of the country.

[CobaltBlue]

How can you tell whether someone is Muslim just by looking at him? What are the salient characteristics?

Please list them.

Also, given that a number of Arabs are also Christians, how can you distinguish them? Or should all Arabs be given "the treatment"?

If this is your plan, can you please explain how it will be implimented?

[goldstategop]

Exactly. We need to do security checks according to a PROBABLE LIKELY threat - not with the current politically correct pretense EVERY ONE is as likely to be a terrorist. If our government wasn't intimidated by the ACLU and CAIR, profiling would be in place at our airports as a security tool and passengers would find their flying experience a lot more safer, less harrassing, and more pleasant.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)

[OldFriend]

Once the plane is in the air and the cockpit door impenetrable, I prefer the pilot to remain behind that door, thankyou.

[Gritty]

[ChessExpert]

The context is airports and air travel. We currently forbid threat profiling that includes the known characteristics of almost all known terrorists. This is simply foolish. As a result we are at greater risk, and incur greater costs and inconvenience.

My advice would be to no longer forbid threat profiling at airports. How should this be done? I would leave that up to the responsible parties. This could include airport management, law enforcement, etc. Should the process be totally transparent? No. That would merely facilitate "gaming the system" by the terrorists. Will some people be "offended" and announce loudly that they are "offended." Sure, and I could care less.