"I feel violated..."

[catnapper]

I'm wondering how random is random. Are they choosing people who look like thugs, a certain age group, foreign, etc... or are they just litterally randomly checking? I have a feeling "random" is the guy wearing too baggy p[ants, lotsof gold chains, a few tottoos, "ooo, he looks like the type of guy who'd be packing" meanwhile the guy in the Brooks Brother suit and briefcase has a knife up his sleeve.

[CagneyDog]

Originally posted by catnapper
Are they choosing people who look like thugs, a certain age group, foreign, etc....

No not at all. They have checked me before ....and I certainly don't look like a thug....I've seen them check some pretty average looking people.

I personally think that there is not much point in doing it.

[Barbara]

Originally posted by catnapper
I'm wondering how random is random. Are they choosing people who look like thugs, a certain age group, foreign, etc... or are they just litterally randomly checking? I have a feeling "random" is the guy wearing too baggy p[ants, lotsof gold chains, a few tottoos, "ooo, he looks like the type of guy who'd be packing" meanwhile the guy in the Brooks Brother suit and briefcase has a knife up his sleeve.

Good point. I have this black co-worker. Remember- black is very rare here. He is born here, speaks the local dialect perfectly and has a good job. But he has much more experience with "random" searching than anyone else.

[LoudLou]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
...I do not see how this further assault on our liberties will do a thing for security.

Sara, I so wish I was as articulate as you. You just have a great way with words!

Thank You!



Allow me to share one of my favorite quotes:

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - B.F.

[lbaker]

Nice snag LoudLou.. who could possibly question the patriotism of B.F. Or doubt his sincerity and wisdom.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Over 3 million people ride the NYC subway each day. More than 1.3 billion a year. An estimated 32 million ride public transport worldwide each day.

That's ALOT of random searching.....

[RICHARD]

Interesting comments,
But here's the 64,000 dollar question.


SHOULD a terorist blow himself up on a train, subway etc. and the government was hampered by the first amendment from spying on this idiot...

Are you willing to sacrifice a few hundred people to keep YOUR civil rights intact?

------------------------------------

Let's do the math....

There are about 280 million people in the US today.

Of that total, let's say one percent HATE their lives and the country

2.8 million.

Of THAT total about one percent

28,000

Are thinking about doing something stupid - workplace shooting, taking hostages to get their point across, killing a neighbor, ex wife, lover ex husband, friend


Of that total one percent

2,800

Have the ability to really put the hurt to us.

2,800 nut jobs.......


Read up on the Tokyo Sarin attacks, a few years ago...


One guy starts a cult and gets a few of his friends to pop the top on some poison gas inside the subway.


The thought of suffocating to death - my respiratory tract seared shut because of the gas- because one emm effer thinks the world is gonna end isn't exactly my idea of FUN...

But Richie (say the naysayers..)

That is only a few guys and that happened in Tokyo!!!


19 morons, of a projected 2,800, stopped an entire country for almost a week.

--------------------------------------------


What it comes down to is what will be said about the government
when it happens here.

The saddest part about that thought is that someplace in America there is a few knotheads planning something like this.

And because some joker with Civil Rights, First Amendment or privacy issues will protect them from being looked at.

--------------------------------------------------

Let's take out our pipes, load them with a few facts and smoke this..................

Profiling????

With the exception of Timmy McVeigh, and he was a fricking wuss because he didn't stay with the truck, the profile of a suicide bomber-or airplane crasher-take your pick- is of a young man 20-25 of Middle Eastern descent. Student, on a visa, seriously religious and you can go on and on.......

I have yet to see a Nepali albino midget toss off an "act of terrorism" so they may fall off the radar screen, for now...
----------------------------

As for the government peeking into your bedroom....

Don't give yourself too much credit.....

If you invented something that AIN'T in the Kama Sutra you may want to patent, trademark or put it on tape...


Look at the cash Pam Anderson, Tommy Lee and Paris Hilton made....

[IRescue452]

Why doesn't the government just go ahead with the ultimate plan of putting microchips on babies when they are born to keep track of everybody and what they are doing through life? I'm sorry but I feel that I am living in Cuba or some other communist country where our liberties are being taken away daily almost to a point where it is unconscious to us.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Guess I am the Joker....

[persianmom]

I think it is a sad day that we have to have random searches to feel safe. But I'm all for it. If it means that my loves and myself are safe. P.S. I like the cute officer idea to.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Richard....I'm not sure where bedroom peeking came into the discussion....but...in Texas the cops can enter your home if your neighbor calls and says you are engaging in sexual acitivites that are "illegal" (homosexual activity.) You can then be arrested. But we should be safe from all those folks doing things in their bedroom. So, just for the record, I don't want the government in my kitchen, my bathroom, my bedroom, my library, my garage or anyplace else they shouldn't ought to be.

Now that you have explained to me that the Unibomber, for example, was a wuss for not blowing himself up and is therefore, not a threat to the safety of the country I feel so much better. I guess that goes for the guy who planted the bomb at the Atlanta Olympics as well?

If we require all a young man 20-25 of Middle Eastern descent. Student, on a visa, seriously religious to wear a green cresent on their outer garments it would make identification easier.

The idea was tried once before....and quite effective too!

[mugsy]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary


If we require all a young man 20-25 of Middle Eastern descent. Student, on a visa, seriously religious to wear a green cresent on their outer garments it would make identification easier.

How about this as an idea...instead of random searches, we better secure our borders and the "student" on a visa that is expired goes home....or would that be politically incorrect?

Oh yeah! I forgot....I abhor political correctness, so my opinion is safe.

[lizbud]

A local newsite is running a poll with the question,

Should police officers use racial profiling to target Middle Easterners when searching bags of those who use subways,
buses, etc.? Using a yes or no vote. So far, about 5000 people
have voted and it's 79% yes & 21% no. I was pretty surprised,
but with the way things are going all over the world, maybe I
shouldn't be.

[mugsy]

I am uncomfortable with it, but, Mike and I discussed it last night and he is all for it. As he pointed out, how many 80 year old black women would be out there blowing themselves up on a bus. I still don't like it a lot, which is why I think that student visas should be severely limited and those that are here on one should be limited to how long they are here and when it expires, they should be on the next plane out of here. I guess I want to feel safe, but, I don't want to give up my liberties. Now, that being said, I do NOT, by ANY means think that everyone who walks the streets of the U.S. should have the same rights as a U.S. citizen.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by lizbud
A local newsite is running a poll with the question,

Should police officers use racial profiling to target Middle Easterners when searching bags of those who use subways,
buses, etc.? Using a yes or no vote. So far, about 5000 people
have voted and it's 79% yes & 21% no. I was pretty surprised,
but with the way things are going all over the world, maybe I
shouldn't be.

That is so mean and unfair. There are TONS of people.......TONS in the US that are US citizens, perfectly good, law abiding citizens that are of Middle Eastern background. They don't deserve 'special' treatment. I don't deserve special treatment. I was born in this country, lived here my ENTIRE life and still do, am as much an American and US citizen as everyone else. For people like me who have never and will NEVER commit such a crime, and that goes for the MAJORITY of the Muslims here in the US, giving them any 'special' treatment is completely unfair and wrong. Why should MY rights be violated, just because someone who happened to have the same skin color as me did something wrong?

We don't need to pick on innocent people. I'm all for keeping our country safe, but check EVERYONE. Picking on someone because of the color God gave them is completely wrong and unjust. Its just like this. If a Caucasian high school student shoots fellow students, go pick on every other white student in the country. Fair? I think not!