Then there is this guy … Webster Tarpley – I can ignore him too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faSIdHaaVPc&feature=related

but we have been bombing yeman before this christmas -
http://www.prisonplanet.com/us-air-raids-kill-63-civilians-in-yemen.html

So I do NOT concider myself “left” I still stand dead center, but how can we even talk about if profiling is good or bad when WE (the US) seem to be bombing everyone? and then get surprised when there are terrorists?

http://www.nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/1020nj3.htm

Of course they already have some profiling in use! – the VERY sophistocated type.
and this christmas someone used a loop hole to get on a US plane even though he was already not allowed “inside” the US. How do you think he was on the list to begin with without profiling? (but I have to look into that part more)

I think a question we should ask is as Daria says @7
Nothing is 100% forever and always … 90% is amazing! so 1 got in, do we panic now and go mental over muslims and bring racist methods of profiling into play. Or do we take a deep breath, thank god all that got burnt up this time is the idiots own balls, and use the whole experience to learn from.

should 80 year old grandmas and piolts be the only ones allowed to have tooth paste on a plane?
I agree its a bit ridiculous but its for a reason…

Marvin I know you know of plots around the world involving babies, children, mentaly ill, handicap etc .. so what is the profile to use exactly? With devices or what not hidden in pants, baby bottles, shoes … next thing you know someone will either swollow, or stick it up their own ***, like they used to do with drugs …
The only truly safe thing the gov can do is treat EVERYONE exactly the same.

exceptions just prove the rules… at least the exceptions should be carefully examined, studied and taken into consideration for the future… exceptions just reveal the weakest points of the theory, help to make it more precise – it doesn’t mean that you have to give up the theory

I wonder what Alex Massie thinks about State spying on Muslims. Perhaps you should ask him to formulate that for “intelligent people” like you.

What about common sense? Because that goes out of the window with the current situation. Airline pilots have been stopped and their toothpaste removed.

So sophisticated profiling please.

Exactly. Crude profiling based simply on being asian, being a Muslim, or flying from Pakistan will be entirely counter-productive. Profiling including information about recent flight patterns etc. And generally excluding 80 year old grandmothers unless something is obviously awry.

I will go & hunt down the original- I usually miss what’s on the Spectator as the majority of it is such utter shite that I can’t be arsed to trawl through for what little is worthwhile.

http://tinyurl.com/yewynf4

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/08/22/racial_profiling/

There is no set profile for a terrorist so how could it.
I looked for some argument for its use and can find none that hold up.

and if you look at all attacks for the last 10 years alone … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents
how many involved planes? very few. so if this would be used as airport security why wouldnt you screen everyone the same? as they have been. and really, whats the obsession with planes and airports … not very creative terrorists.