Profiling is NOT OK

PROFILING IS NOT OK........THIS IS NOT NAZI GERMANY

For the citizens of any country, for all of mankind, we cannot justify the practice of profiling to help stop terrorism. This could only add to hate crimes, and further dissent among citizens, and change the face of America forever.

Let’s be realistic with what the truth of the matter is. Most white, right wing Christians, who live in the south are not in the KKK. However, most KKK members are white, very conservative, right wing Christians and live in the southern U.S. If we were to profile these particular sorts of people, the average white, conservative Christian, we’d be harassing an inordinate amount of people in this country since many of us are white, and Christian, but not killers.

My point is that I would venture to guess that the amount of people in our country or who count themselves citizens of their native country, who have dark skin and wear Muslim clothing that are actual terrorists, are equally as small in number relative to the suggested ‘profile’, as the amount of white conservative Christians that are Klu Klux Klan members.

What I have been really amazed at lately is the suggestion that since most terrorists fit a profile, we should let those who are ‘obvious’ non profile fitting types, go without checking their belongings, as though we insult the ‘good’ citizens of our country. Actually, isn't it possible that profiling allows the terrorists to find ways to beat the system ~ where non-profiling, check everyone, lets nothing get by?

TERRORISTS AND SHOPLIFTERS!

Profiling is done in security positions all over the world, there is no doubt. But, there a logic in this whole concept that really doesn't work in this situation.

Recently, on talk shows and at the water cooler, I have heard avid support from the average person for not checking the baggage of little old ladies and young children, or the average housewife type because they don’t usually blow up subways. But, there is no average terrorist; they can take the form and shape and place and economic status of any person, because they are here; they are citizens, and behind the scenes, before the bomb is blown up, there are many faces of terror.

So, in the case of an international or internal terrorist, unlike simple robbery or car thief cases, there is no geographical or economical common denominator to judge the typical criminal. For instance, in retail theft, it is true that people who steal are usually low income people. As stats show, the cities are places that invite low income people to get a start on life, economically, due to job availability, and the fact that they don't usually own their own car, and can take public transportation. The reasons are many. And many times black or hispanic immigrants fit in this catagory, trying to get ahead with little or no education. So, when security employees monitor their cameras, they look for hispanics and blacks, not because of their skin color which might mean something entirely different in a different area, but because they happen to fit the profile for poor people, who are more apt to commit a crime in a city area. If the same security office were looking for a thief in a Walmart in the hills of Tennessee somewhere, they’d be looking for 12-17 year old female, white girls.

THE FACE OF A TYPICAL TERRORIST

The sort of mind that believes that fear is the way to win over people's bodies/minds/hearts, does not pick and choose who to win over; they will try anyone, anywhere, willing. And those that fall into this sort of mindset themselves, don't have a particular face. Terrorists train all kinds and now that they think we think they don’t train little old ladies, they will certainly seek some out!

The media has been rather silly enough to suggest that we only check the bags of what they have decided is a typical terrorist, and so you can be sure there will be plenty of crazy people of all races, all genders and all ages with nothing better to do than find a ‘purpose’ for their lives, such as being the bringer of terror to people they hate. And like anywhere, there are enough angry, hateful people who are white, black or purple, to do the job....no doubt.

My point is...profiling doesn’t always work and if we choose to single out only the ‘obvious’ skin colors, or clothing, or religious background, we are foolish because most Muslims and dark skinned people have nothing to do with radical terrorist activities just as most right wing conservative Christians have nothing to do with the KKK.

THE 'RIGHTEOUS' JUDGEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN CRUSADERS, THE INTOLERANCE OF THE KKK AND THE SLAUGHTER OF NATIVE AMERICANS IS NO DIFFERENT AND PERHAPS EVEN MORE DEVASTING TO OUR AMERICAN FOUNDATION OF FREEDOM AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS THAN ANY TERROR ACT YET
Hate crimes have killed or terrified more people than radical Muslim’s EVER did before 911 in our country. The hate was already here; it was just internal and often ignored as such. The Christian Crusades, the KKK, the colonists who killed the Native American people, the Popes who condoned killing in the name of Jesus, have done more to put terror on the map than any Muslim has in our country. We do not need to hate another group; they are all equal in their hate, and in their crime. One is not to be tolerated more than another. One should not be profiled and singled out more than another as well. An most importantly, rather than hate the group who hates, lets try to bridge the gap we have that creates the hate. If we have not been able to do it in our own history, with the aforementioned groups, how will begin with this new hateful group of radicals? To this mindset, they are but another reason to hate; to kill, no different than them, no different than the 'righteous' beliefs of the Christian Crusaders.

ORGANIZED RELIGION DIVIDES US

So, in the end, our new security problems and our own fear of public places is what the need to evangelize religion (and killing those who don’t agree) has done, in the name of ‘love’ and ‘Christ.’ The radical Muslims are no different than the Christian right wing fanatics who blow up abortion clinics, the KKK group members, and the Christian Crusaders who killed thousands, as well as the Nazi’s who killed the Jews. They are coming from the same hateful mindset.

And so, we have no choice now that we allowed our need for separate religious beliefs to cause hate as did all the above mentioned groups, to be imprisoned by fear. In truth, there is no freedom in religion since by its nature, it divides.

One God, one People, will never happen when we decide that some look more capable of terror than another. If one person has to have their bags checked at the airport, ALL people need have their bags checked. If we allow our government to tell us that certain people, don’t appear threatening, but dark skinned Muslim’s do.......Nazi Germany is not far from our new reality.

How many right wing Christian white people do you know blew up an abortion clinic, or killed another person because they were black? And how many dark skinned people who wear Muslim garb do you know that placed a bomb under your seat on the bus? Both are equally unlikely, or likely. Either way, we cannot profile one and not the other.

Diane L. Perretto