flywithastick said:
How about controlling the borders and not allowing them to cross and pick up their packages.
Border security MUST be improved!
Now talking about airport security, don't they still ask if you've been asked to carry anthing for someone else?! 
Actually they don't. I always thought it was a good idea just for passenger awareness, even though no one with criminal intent would likely fess up. You were just being facetious though, right?
How many people NOT a terrorist and carrying prohibited items will use the prohibited item to hijack or blow up a plane?
I suppose the simple answer is "none" because the moment they did one of those things they would be a terrorist. The point is that a terrorist could sneak a prohibited item on board by using an unsuspecting passenger, or an accomplice who doesn't fit the profile to get things past security. The passenger carrying the items could have little or nothing to do with any evil plans.
as opposed to random searches of non-Muslum old ladies and children?! This sounds like the same logic my local city manager used when he told me I couldn't have speed bumps installed on my street because they would actually "SPEED UP traffic". 
For one thing, TSA does not conduct "random" searches. The TSA does "continuous" screening. What this means is that, when a screener is finished with a task they will simply select the next passenger or bag in line to conduct a search. (Assuming they do not have to resolve an alarm.) This makes the best use of the screeners' time and also prevents discrimination.
You'd have to be pretty carefull who you'd let through with less scrutiny considering that a non-Muslim youth stole a plane last year and flew it into a high rise and a non-Muslim university student tried to make a smiley face on the map of the USA by planting pipe bombs in people's mail boxes.
These are all reasons why the security checkpoint has to work like a big washing machine and remove all the prohibited items from all of the passengers. The minute you scrutinize one group too much, you neglect another. All passengers must be thoroughly screened.
The other thing is that some profiling is done before the passengers even reach the checkpoint. The difference is that race is not a parameter. Ever fly one-way or buy a ticket at the last minute and wonder why you're a screening selectee? There are many factors involved, but they are more objective than race or religion.
