Profiling or common sense?

Washington Times ^ | 6/07/02

[kattracks]

One can only imagine what kind of outcry the new safety measures announced this week by Attorney General John Ashcroft will elicit. Mr. Ashcroft is proposing to fingerprint and photograph visitors to the United States from the Middle East, mostly men, in order to make them easier to track once they have crossed onto U.S. soil. It will certainly not make this group feel more welcome, but you can hardly argue that their civil rights have been violated. Every alien who wants to reside permanently in the United States has to be fingerprinted and photographed. So does every immigrant seeking to become a U.S. citizen.

[goldstategop]

Its common sense. We know the ethnic origin of the 911 terrorists. Enough with the hand-wringing. Its high time to verify first, trust later.

[brat]

Common sense, a thing in short supply these days. And its not racial profiling, its criminal profiling. Let's keep the race out of it.

[tm61]

why does it have to be one or the other?, Profling is common sense. Question should be security or political correctness.

[Uncle George]

When the mosquitos are biting, we don't go around swatting flies.

[Puppage]

. "A new and disturbing trend is occurring at American airports, the practice of removing passengers because of their perceived ethnicity,"

How about the disturbing practice of removing my countrymen fro the PLANET? No one is forcing you to come here, if you do...you'll HAVE TO PUT UP WITH OUR RULES.

[FITZ]

We were able to win WWI and WWII because we were allowed to profile Germans and we didn't have to let every Nazi into the US.

[elephantlips]

The other day I heard a caller on Sean Hannity's radio program who, to me, solved the problem of the "racial profiling" issue. He said what we're really doing is "criminal profiling," not racial. There is no reasonable way to deny the term "criminal profiling" without seeming to be absurd. Why, for instance, would anyone "criminal profile" an 80-year old woman unless she was part of the profile? I would love to hear from freepers as to your opinions. If it sounds feasible, them let's promote its use.

[d14truth]

Profiling or 'quality control'?

Exercising 'common sense' is NEVER profiling! 19 A's hijacked planes and used them as missiles. 0 B's hijacked planes and used them as missiles.

You are in charge of airport security. For quality control, what is your 'sample' based on historical occurance. Assuming a planeload/lot of 50 A's and 250 B's, with a sample size of 30(10%). How will the 'occurance correlation' affect the sample selection?

25 A's and 5 B's? That means 25 A's aren't checked. Feel safe?

By the way a 'random sample' would search 25 B's and only 5 A's.(You don't find the 'bad apples' by checking the oranges and the grapes!!!)--You might uncover a bad grape or orange, which is small consolation when the 'bad apples' escape detection of those hired to 'inspect for bad apples'.

Profiling, you say. Never, I say. I am doing quality control over 'apples' based on historical levels of rejection to guarantee the BEST product. Special 'random sampling' will NOT be made of oranges and grapes, as the historical quality practices and 'reject rates' have proven acceptable.

[Delbert]

Book 'em Dano!!! too friggin bad.

[gared]

If you mean the 19 named suicide bombers then you ought to know that at least four have come forward since then saying, "Hey I am alive!". That means they aren't suicide bombers...the 9/11 hijackers were never proven, just stated in a bald lie by the US, UK, etc govts.

[gared]

Missed something, at least one of these reported his passport stolen to the US authorities! This came from the guardian or observer in UK I think and was also on the BBC.

[gared]

Forgot a link for the above
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm