Is "racial-profiling" acceptable during a time of war?

[kentuck]

All you Pakistanis, over on this side. Grandma and Grandpa, continue what you were doing. If we are at war, is this really so unacceptable?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Ask the Japanese Americans

especially those who lived through WWII. Ask Dan Inoye and the other Americans of Japanese descent who fought while their families were in internment camps, not because they were a threat, but because of their appearance and ancestry.

Frankly, if I were a terrorist intent on starting something in this country, I'd enlist the fellow with blue eyes, blonde hair, and a Southern accent to do the dirty work. Meanwhile, the US government harrasses Arab Americans and persecutes Muslims like Chaplain Yee. These are the very people who could most help in understanding (literally-guess what group in this country has the largest percentage of Arab speakers?)Arabs and Muslims in general, and are the ones who would be most effective in infiltrating and finding out more about al Qaeda and its satillite operatives. But instead of doing this, Bush "crusades"-allowing government officials to make anti-Islamic statements and creating a climate of suspicion and hate against all Muslims.

[kentuck]

3. Of course, you are right but...

I fear it is the direction we are headed...

[H2O Man]

6. You are both right. n/t

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Short answer: NO

The idea that racial or ethnic or religious profiling is a good idea, in a modern multicultural society, is just absurd. Is it really worth harrassment and infringement of the civil liberties of the vast majority of law-abiding Pakistani/East Indian/Afghani/etc. Muslim immigrants merely on the off chance that one or two might possibly be potential terrorists? THere's such a thing as the presumption of innocence, after all. And there are WHITE "terrorists" (even Muslim terrorists), too...what about Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber"? Or John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban fighter?

Bad, wrong, and stupid....

Not to mention that the majority of Muslims in Western countries abhor the actions done in the name of Islam as much as anyone else....

[wli]

12. Eric Rudolph? Tim McVeigh? KKK?

The terrorists hitting the US are all white Christian extremists, unsurprisingly similar to those in office (who are under suspicion for the 11 Sept. 2001 and 7 July 2005 attacks as things stand anyway).

[ThomWV]

4. Yes

[kentuck]

5. Next question: Are we at war ?

All Americans have not bought that idea yet.

[ThomWV]

9. No

I have been in war, I know what they look like. This ain't one.

[wli]

13. no

The federal government can lawfully declare war to make it so. Claiming a speech mentioning a nebulous "war on terror" or "war on drugs" is any kind of actual declaration of war is difficult to describe politely. Perhaps "Sterculian" suffices.

[Speed8098]

7. What about when they come for you?

Come on kentuck, you know profiling on the basis of race or religion is wrong.
Today it may be the Muslims, tomorrow it could be the agnostics.
The next day it could be anybody, maybe me, maybe you.
Who is doing the profiling? Maybe we should take a closer look at them.
Seriously, who is watching the watchers?

For every bomber who is of a certain race or religion, there are millions of that same faith or race that are law abiding citizens just trying to get through life just like you and I.

The people aren't the problem, * is the problem.
The radical republicans of today are the problem.

They are ignorant and they don't care.
The listen to idiots like rush and savage.
They think they are right.

Do you seriously believe, as * suggests, that we are hated because of our freedom?
Thats crazy.
How do people swallow such bullshit?

We are hated because we are hateful.
Just ask the Native Americans.

[ThomWV]

10. Shoot Back

2nd Amendment rights and all that.

[rzemanfl]

8. In a real War, one where taxes are raised, not lowered, where

folks are told to cut down on travel, not go to Disney World, where an army is raised to defeat an enemy and the profiling is FOR THE DURATION AND NO LONGER it is probably marginally justifiable. In an endless "war" with an administration that does not know the meaning of the word "duration" it feels too much like phase I of the police state.

[sintax]

11. NO! But profiling that is acceptable is

to profile and arrest those responsible namely the Bankers and Oil Men and...

We would find most of these creatures to be White in color with a slight green(d) in tint. Eyes are jaundiced, heart is grey.

[two gun sid]

14. It is not acceptable to me. It is bad policy too...

but, we are not really at war. This war on terror is so much bullshit.

[DFWdem]

15. Of course it is

Just ask FDR. He realized that the majority of Japanese in the US were loyal to the country, but the only way he could be sure the threat from non-loyal Japanese was eliminated was to move (profile) all of them.