QandO

August 17, 2004

Profiling and Security
Posted by Dale Franks

While I might not have found her new book compelling, I certainly agree with Michelle malkin's larger point about the absolute boneheadedness of refusing to use threat profiling as a security aid.

When our national security is on the line, "racial profiling" — or more precisely, threat profiling based on race, religion or nationality — is justified. Targeted intelligence-gathering at mosques and in local Muslim communities, for example, makes perfect sense when we are at war with Islamic extremists.

Yet, last week, the FBI came under fire for questioning Muslims in Seattle about possible terrorist ties. Members of a local mosque complained to Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., who called for a congressional investigation of the FBI's innocuous tactics. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington accused the agency of "ethnic profiling."

But where else are federal agents supposed to turn for help in uncovering terrorist plots by Islamic fanatics: Buddhist temples? Knights of Columbus meetings? Amish neighborhoods?

One of the silliest sights imagineable can be seen on any busy weekday at the security screening area of any metropolitan airport. Aged grandpas or young, blond businesswomen are routinely pulled out of line and given the third degree, as if America was facing a deadly onslaught of elderly WWII veterans, or predatory marketing VPs.

Of course, the plain and simple truth is that it wasn't octegenarian D-Day vets who were flying planes into skyscrapers on 911. But the eagle-eyed TSA airport security personnel are required to pretend that it was, or, at least, that it could be the next time.

What makes all the uproar over profiling even more silly is that the groups who are so voiciferously against profiling for security purposes, are all for it whenever there's a buck to be made from other types of profiling, like, say, college admissions.

Some might argue that profiling is so offensive to fundamental American values that it ought to be prohibited, even if the prohibition jeopardizes our safety. Yet many of the ethnic activists and civil-liberties groups who object most strenuously to the use of racial, ethnic, religious and nationality classifications during war support the use of similar classifications to ensure "diversity" or "parity" in peacetime.

So, no profiling is allowed at all when it comes to keeping possible hijackers from flying 747s into the Sears Tower. Profiling is such a powerful and dangerous tool it must be reserved solely for really important things like hiring preferences.

This is called having your cake and eating it, too. We are required to regard race as of no importance whatsoever, except when it's convenient for the minority group in question, at which time it becomes the most important factor to consider.

Hence, in the middle of a war against the terror spawned by Islamic extremism, we cannot be allowed for any reason, to give any special consideration to young, Muslim males of Middle Eastern extraction.

Unless, of course, they are applying for a job, or admission into college.

UPDATE (JON): There is something about the the aversion to profiling that has bothered me for awhile. I understand--and agree with--the distaste for the idea that, with no specific crimes being investigated, one can simply investigate people for being "likely" to commit a crime, based on (whatever set of profiles are applicable)

However, that's not really the current situation.

There is one instance in which law enforcement officers are allowed to "profile", as it were. That is when a crime has been--or is being--committed, and there is a specific description of the criminal. For instance, if a truck is stolen, and the criminal is described as a white male, early 20s, brown hair, driving a truck in area X.....the police are within their legal authority to pull over and investigate people fitting that profile. (that's actually an incident that happened to a friend of mine some years ago)

I was once pulled over by police who had been called to a domestic disturbance scene, only to find the male in question had left the building. I fit the description--until closer examination, anyway--and they pulled me over to check further.

Our airline safety situation is very similar. We have a specific and detailed description of the members of the group who--we know--are actively working to attack the United States. So, why can we pull over people fitting Profile X when a person of Profile X has stolen a vehicle, but not pull over people fitting Profile Z when people fitting Profile Z are actively involved in ongoing attempts to attack the United States?

Lest you think there is some racial component to this, let me add: if the United States was under attack from the IRA, I would expect--as a fair-skinned, reddish-haired, white male--to receive closer examination in the airport. It would only make sense.

So, forget "profiling". Why can't we follow up on the already existing descriptions we have of our enemy?

TrackBack