Basicly we agree. I think profiling is a necessity, probably best done verbally, but by well trained TSA nincompoops. The US isn’t Israel either in terms of the threat, for now, or the number of passengers or airports. IMO demographically the threat isn’t as much racial as religious. We’re not going to religion, and profiling for Arabs will likely target plenty of Sephardic Jews, Greeks, Italians, you get the idea. And miss what imo is the greatest threat, homegrown converts. If by Arabs you mean passengers traveling on a passport from an Arab country, they should merit attention if they’re blue eyed and blond haired. For the reasons you mention, the liklihood of demographic profiling is zero, but profiling conversationally, not just by TSA but at the ticket counter makes complete sense. And demographics is a clear part of that.
I agree that Israel sits in a very tuff neighborhoos but 9-11-2001 catapluted us into parity in the terrorist body count if this Israeli government report is accurate:
As for offending other swarthy types I just don’t have an issue with that. If they are innocent then I doubt they should care either. I have heard Yemeni Jews and and other Oriental Jews claim they didn’t care if it assured the safety of others.
Had Tim McVeigh been an army rather than just a lone nut I woulda been happy to be profiled.