60 Minutes

[Hubie]

Mineta is one of those liberal holdovers from the last administration just as John Magaw (TSA head) was. They are from the mindset that it would be far worse to violate some political correctness rule somewhere than to tolerate American citizens being at risk.

Back some years ago, just after the Columbine school shooting a flurry of activity from the liberals on the hill caused great debate amongst gun groups on both sides of the issue.

In an interview with the VP of the NRA, he said that liberals accepted almost needed a certain level of violence to further their agenda (total gun control).

The same is applicable here. The liberals and bureaucrat lifers in our government need a certain level of fear from the public, the traveling public to further their agenda’s, whatever they may be.

If 9/11 proved anything, it proved that our government, while great at defending America as a whole, repelling invasions, projecting force… that kind of thing.
Cannot ever protect each and every individual citizen, hence the cry for guns in the cockpit. Let us be responsible for ourselves.

Until we profile at ALL security checkpoints, stop harassing 80-year-old grandmas and flightcrews it will remain a joke.

Norm Mineta is an idiot

 

[Beantown]

Should we require background checks on all 20 something Midwestern white males that want to rent a rider truck? The second worst terrorist attack in this country was from a young white male. Just something to remember. -Bean

 

[Beantown]

"True, but did that young white male openly dinnounce the American way of life as part of a large group, all with the same basic characteristics? Was his goal to take down the entire US structure and lifestyle? Not exactly. This is a different breed of enemy"
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First let me say that I am not sure where I stand on this issue. I do think they need to figure a way to let pilots skip the x-ray line. They were testing the eyescan in CLT before 9/11. I know that stopped after and I don't know what the status is now but I think that would be a good way to go. Would stop terrorists from stealing ID's and gaining access that way. ( Sorry getting way off the subject.)

Tim Mcvays (sp) goal WAS to "take down the entire us system", that is why he went after the Federal building. There (and I saw one estimate that there were 10 to 30 thousand loose nit "paramilitary" like Mcvay (sp) in the US) goal was destruction of our governmental system.

You may think they are a different enemy now, but then I think many would disagree. -Bean

 

[Skydancer]

True, but did that young white male openly dinnounce the American way of life as part of a large group, all with the same basic characteristics?

Yes. And the people who have similar viewpoints as he did tend to be mostly white men and some white women.

 

[enigma]

Should we require background checks on all 20 something Midwestern white males that want to rent a rider truck? The second worst terrorist attack in this country was from a young white male. Just something to remember. -Bean

Your analogy is false and illogical. One guy (McVeigh) does not make for a pattern. Thirty, or fourty, (young middle eastern Muslims) acts of terror against Americans over a couple of decades does make for a pattern. "Twenty-something" midwestern, white males dont' fit an identified profile. But if we could prove that members of that group had a history of killing innocents, then we would be stupid if we didn't look at them as suspects.

Anyone who fits any legitimate profile of a KNOWN terrorist/criminal group, should be treated as a possible member of that group.

Profiling doesn't deny anyone of his civil rights as long as there is only investigation. The current legal situation, as far as I can tell, is that a passenger waives his right to warranted search, when he SUBMITS to VOLUNTARY security screening. I might agree with the anti-profiling thought, if we were talking about entering peoples homes just because they were Arabic. I have absolutely NO problem with profiling those who show up at the airport and attempt to board an airplane. For that matter, we already profile. Ask any pilot who commutes back and forth to work.

regards.
8N

 

[skydiverdriver]

Racial profiling is wrong. Criminal profiling is essential. However, if most of the criminals happen to be of a certain race, then they will get the most attention. It's the only sane way to handle the problem.

 

[PilotOnTheRise]

If racial profiling is what it takes, than so be it. I don't want to see anyone get treated unfairly, but in the current world, certain messures need to be taken to assure this countries safety.

 

[PilotOnTheRise]

messures = measures

oops

 

[dualrated]

FlyChicaga wrote:
"...we don't have a country filled with stupid people... "

...and now we have plenty of folks here proving you wrong.

 

[MYFpilot]

In 1972, at the Summer Olympics in Munich, Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed by:
(a) Scottish Highlanders
(b) Sonny and Cher
(c) The Viet Cong
(d) Muslim males mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
(a) Norwegians from Ballard;
(b) Elvis;
(c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women; or
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
(a) A pizza delivery boy;
(b) Crazed feminists complaining that being able to throw a grenade
beyond its own burst radius was an unfair and sexist requirement in
basic training;
(c) Gerardo Rivera making up for a slow news day; or
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
(a) Luca Brazzi, for not being given a part in "Godfather 2;"
(b) The Tooth Fairy;
(c) Butch and Sundance who had a few sticks of dynamite left over from
the train mission, or,
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
(a) Mr. Rogers;
(b) Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems;
(c) The World Wrestling Federation to promote its next villain:
"Mustapha the Merciless;" or
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

On October 12 of 2000, the USS Cole was blown up by a small boat
carrying explosives by:
(a) 2 US Postal Workers who were disgusted with the mail service on US
warships;
(b) 2 Fed Ex employess trying to deliver a fresh load of ammunition;
(c) 2 UPS workers who were tired of wearing their brown uniforms while
sweating it out driving their big brown trucks and decided to make a
statement about "how hot it could get";
(d) 2 Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed thousands of Innocent lives by:
(a) Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd;
(b) The Supreme Court of Florida trying to outdo the liberals fantasy
about their attempted hijacking of the 2000 Presidential election;
(c) Mr. Bean;
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

Hmmm ............. nope, no patterns anywhere

 

[willi7]

Hubie,
You should realize who was in control of the house and senate in the last administration, maybe then you would realize that it has nothing to do with what party is in power. It has everything to do with money and votes these scammers will do anything for money on both sides... Money = votes, votes = they keep a high paying job with lots of perks and power..

 

[willi7]

Hubie,
You should realize who was in control of the house and senate in the last administration, maybe then you would realize that it has nothing to do with what party is in power. It has everything to do with money and votes these scammers will do anything for money on both sides... Money = votes, votes = they keep a high paying job with lots of perks and power.. They then pass a bunch of crapy laws that do nothing to help the situation, but make joe blow on the street feel safe and they get votes.. Everybody loses exept them....

 

[learflyer]

I think we have every right to profile people who look like
that hijacker that we see on video footage walking through
security that morning with the blue shirt on about to board his flight to Boston on 9/11. Why the hell not? I grew up playing in those buildings as a kid in the summertime, and I'm mad as hell.
I think more americans ought to be more pissed off instead of
worrying about whose feelings are being hurt. DUH, there is no more world trade center!

 

[Timebuilder]

I have wondered if Mineta thought that criminal profiling would be ineffective, and not worth implementing as a part of our security plan. Certainly, he would have to take some heat from many interest groups, think tanks, and PAC's if he went along with the program.

It may be that many people, Mineta included, are afraid that this profiling might be effective, and show us that it makes sense in other areas of crime fighting. A bi-partisan move to profiling would maintain political stability, but it would deprive many of the political issue (open minded "us" versus mean spirited "them") for their election campaign.

In the final analysis, it's probably just a lack of old-fashioned guts on the part of many people, and a use of symbolism over substance.

Why aren't the McVays as much of a threat to our way of life? Motivation. Most would rather enjoy life, and make half hearted attempts at demonstrating their political views.

Young muslim men, on the other hand, are single-minded individuals, motivated by a misplaced belief that there is an eternal reward for their sacrifice. They are, as we have seen, a far more dangerous group.

 

[jetexas]

I thought for sure that something as horrific as 9/11 would bring about immediate results from our beaurocratic gov't. Instead, lots of common sense measure have not been implemented and are no where to be seen. Where the gov't has failed, the airlines are not taking up the slack. Common sense was telling me years before 9/11 that we needed better cockpit doors. It all boils down to money. When money is involved, everything is reactive, not proactive. Even then there is no guarantee.
People are stealing airline crew uniforms, yet we have no national standard for quality ID's. We are still himing and hawing over guns in the cockpit. Airport security is targeting 90 year old men with hearing aids. An on and on and on...