Been on a plane recently?

[Evan]

Good idea Evan. I think you are much more likely to encounter a sexually deviant Republican (or Democrat) than you are to encounter a suicide bomber of any persuasion.

Another point well missed. If I should encouter a dozen such 'deviants', what have I to fear? You think a plane full of passengers may be endangered because one of those aweful Republicans might ask me for a date? Did you read somewhere about one of those individuals hiding explosives in his shorts?

"How hard is that to focus on? I suppose it's measured by one's devotion to a political agenda or ideology."

Transparent regards,

Evan

[Leddyman]

Ooops! double post.

[Leddyman]

All of this proves, of course, that you should never turn your back on a middle aged white male Republican because "sticking it to you" could take on a whole new meaning.

Jeff, you are more intelligent than this. Which one of your examples killed anybody? Besides, I thought you supported homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle?

The post was about airport security. Please....Really?

[Leddyman]

The guy was a patient of my wife's. The other murder was a wife and mother-in-law. And BTW, EVERYONE here has camo! The murderer's Marlin was returned to him by a judge who said he could use it only for hunting, after having brandished it at his wife's workplace several years ago, and having it confiscated. This guy had a history of armed violence, substance abuse, and alcoholism. If there is anyone who should have their guns taken away, he was the poster child.

So yes, in Venango county, Pa, your chances of being killed by a beer-drinkin middle-aged white male with a deer rifle are VASTLY greater than being blown up by a muslim terrorist! It's not rocket science. And yes, if a young mulsim showed up carrying a duffle-bag, you can BET he will be scrutinized and questioned, if not by authorities, by a bunch of beer-drinkin, middle-aged white men with deer rifles!

http://www.city-data.com/city/Frankl...nsylvania.html

You can see the city-data shows 2 murders as far back as they report. If you want to go back to the days of John Wilkes Boothe and the underground railroad, yes, there have probably been more. Maybe you were looking at the murder rate per 100,000, which is much greater because we don't have 100,000 people here.

Well holy crap there Wilbur, nobody is going to argue that that guy should have had a gun. The system broke down, there are laws on the books that should have taken that guy's guns away. So your real point is Criminals who have brandished weapons and are addicted to illegal drugs shouldn't have guns.

News Flash!!! I agree.

Had he ever been on an AIRPLANE? Should I get cavity searched getting on a plane because that guy lost his cookies and killed somebody?

Notwithstanding Yardley's preoccupation with homosexual politicians who would definitely like to search a cavity or two.

I ain't flyin nowhere anymore, me an John Madden regards,

[YardleyLabs]

Jeff, you are more intelligent than this. Which one of your examples killed anybody? Besides, I thought you supported homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle?

The post was about airport security. Please....Really?

Actually, I would say that the posts have been about profiling in the absence of any legitimate analysis showing that such a strategy is more likely to be effective than what we are doing now. I suspect that more lives would be saved by requiring all males leaving sports bars on a Sunday afternoon/evening to pass a breathalyzer test before driving than would be saved by strip searching every male with an Arab sounding name prior to boarding an airplane.

Personally, I believe that if you are proposing profiling you should make a valid statistical case and then be equally supportive if that case is then applied in a parallel manner against those with whom you identify. My Republican sex scandal post was an effort to illustrate humorously a stupid conclusion based on selective data. I could just have easily made the case that if you want to screen for people most likely to kill civilians using bombs, you should look for an American soldier stationed in a third world country.

I believe that profiling is currently being sold to the American public because blaming a minority and using incendiary scare tactics is good politics, and a lot easier than actually trying to do something useful.

[Uncle Bill]

Selective interpretation of data has been used to justify bigotry for ages. I remember the outrage when an advisory was issued concerning the threat of terrorist activity by right wing groups in March 2009. If you can figure out the criteria that you would use to distinguish "terrorist extremists" or even the religion of people by appearance, it would be fine. For now, however, it strikes me as being no more valid than saying that white, right wing males are the best candidates if I want to know who will next blow up a government building, assassinate attendees at a Unitarian church in Knoxville, or execute an abortionist during a church service.

The fact is that I doubt that many of the people working ticket counters and security desks are capable of telling the difference between an Indian and a Pakistani, or between an Arab and an Israeli. What about the difference between a Muslim Turk or Indonesian -- neither of which have been linked to jihadi terrorism -- and Saudis who have. Scared people look for easy answers. Unfortunately, there aren't any. For now, the administration has initiated intensified screening for people from certain countries that are considered problematic. At least that can be done by passport.

You have reached one of the nation's Icons with your pathetic desire to fend for the enemy; ignoring the obvious is such a leftist virtue.

Speaking on your behalf...properly chastising all of us ignoramuses on the right, here's a message from Maxine:

"Recently I received a warning about the use of the politically INcorrect term, "Towel Heads", so please note: We all need to be more sensative in our choice of words. I have been informed that the Islamic terrorists who hate our guts and want to kill us, do not like to be called "Towel Heads", since the item they wear on their heads is not actually a towel, but in fact, a small folded sheet. Therefore, from this point forward, please refer to them as "Little Sheet Heads".

Thank you for your support and compliance on this delicate matter."

After being taken to the woodshed by Maxine, I certainly intend to comply.

UB

[Julie R.]

I believe that profiling is currently being sold to the American public because blaming a minority and using incendiary scare tactics is good politics, and a lot easier than actually trying to do something useful.

I don't see how you can say profiling and scare tactics are being "sold" to the American public. Who's doing the selling? All I hear is your ilk trashing profiling, even that which correctly identifies a security risk, as not being PC or potentially hurting someone's feelings or the rallying cry of the lefties, "That's RACIST!"

[huntinman]

The left clings to their civil rights and political correctness (bitter clingers)...until we get attacked in a big way.

Then they scream that our leaders were asleep at the wheel. "Where were you, why didn't you protect us?" WaaaaaaaWaaaaaaa

They want it both ways...

[dnf777]

Should I get cavity searched getting on a plane because that guy lost his cookies and killed somebody?

There's a whole lot of law-abiding Muslims who have never blown up anyone, or plan to, asking that same question! Careful when you trample on someone else's civil rights, the next time it just might be yours!

[Evan]

There's a whole lot of law-abiding Muslims who have never blown up anyone, or plan to...

Great! They should come through screening with flying colors. However, most acts of terror - expecially over the past ten years, have fit the profile of being Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40. If that should distinctly shift toward tall red headed Irish females, I say we target and profile them. In the meantime, I like both the pattern and success rate of EL AL.

Evan