So how do Republicans want to solve the current TSA security fiasco? By screwing over people who may "look like terrorists." Two words - ethnic profiling. Rather than investigate the machines or reconsider pat down procedures - Republican Congressmen Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Peter Hoekstra of Michigan want to limit the people who get irradiated or groped to only those of a certain ethnic background. In other words - people who don't look like them. In two separate radio interviews - both GOP lawmakers agreed that profiling is something they would advocate for as an alternative. While they are the first two federal lawmakers to endorse profiling at airports - the Conservative media - mainly Fox News and Rush Limbaugh - has been calling on this security tactic since this debate began a few weeks ago. Of course - it's much easier to advocate for profiling when you don't fit the profile - nearly every person who has spoken out in favor has been a white male. Besides the inherent racism in profiling - it also doesn't work and could make our country less safe. The past 3 attempted bombers have not been of Middle Eastern decent - the shoe bomber Richard Reid was a white Jamaican from the UK. The underwear bomber was Nigerian. And "jihad jane" was a blonde American woman. So is profiling really the best idea? Or is it just the next step for the GOP to strip rights away from Muslims. After all - they apparently can't build mosques in the country anymore.
-Thom
(What do you think the next step should be? Tell us here.)
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