If there needs to be profiling, it needs to be done in a rational fashion. So a Muslim dude who has lived here for less than 10 years and has managed to visit Yemen and Pakistan 7 times during that period even though he is from Egypt should obviously get pulled over for extra screening. Even if he is wearing a t-shirt with an American flag and shorts he should be screened. On the other hand a Bangladeshi or Indonesian couple, who are Muslims and dressed like it, but have lived in America for more than 30 years and only go back to the country of their origin, perhaps should not be.
Is this really possible though? Do you guys seriously think this can be implemented by either the TSA or the airlines? Are you sure we won't end up with a situation where Indian techies get held up for screening a gazillion times while the Chechnyan terrorist skates by?
An exception for olds is probably the way to go. I wouldn't give an exception for the young mainly because their parents could be terrorists who use their kids to get by security. They are f'ed up people, let's not forget.
How can we tell who is who?
It's quite easy to know a person's foreign travel patterns.
As for Indian techie vs Chechnyan terrorist. There is no way to tell who is dangerous and who is not just by looking at them. I don't get why Americans have this fascination with racial profiling. I don't have a problem with profiling the right way, but racial profiling is just another way of placating the masses with no real gains.
