New York – In light of the national debate surrounding body scanners at airports, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is planning to re-introduce his terrorist profiling legislation when the legislative session reconvenes in January.
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“There is a terrorist profile for a potential suicide bomber, and it’s not the 75-year-old grandmother,” Hikind said. “Political correctness won’t keep New Yorkers safe from terrorists.” Hikind, who called the TSA’s body scanners and pat-downs “insane” and “invasive,” argues that TSA agents should be profiling young Muslim men and women of Arab or South Asian origin. “Every case of recent terrorism has been committed by individuals from a Middle Eastern country,” he said. “There are certain things you do in wartime that you don’t do in peacetime.”
Originally introduced in 2005, Hikind’s legislation would amend the Executive Law to permit police and peace officers to consider the ethnicity of a person as one of multiple factors in identifying a terrorist suspect. Hikind cites the Supreme Court decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003) to support the bill’s constitutionality. In Grutter, the Court held that ethnic profiling is not prohibited by the Equal Protection clause if the profiling is done in furtherance of a “compelling governmental interest.”
“There is no question that the government has a compelling interest in protecting the lives and safety of its citizenry from terrorist attacks,” Hikind said. Hikind notes that the need for this kind of legislation is greater than ever before. “No one is saying we shouldn’t check Norwegians—blond, blue-eyed people if they’re suspicious—I’m just saying let’s be realistic about it.” Hikind declared.
I won’t hold my breath, Dov. Here in the grand US of A, Political correctness comes before security of our country.
We must vote liberal politians and judges out of office so that we have more sane laws and a saner society.
Israel has a successful record of safety. They do not look for bombs or explosives. They look for terrorists. In USA, we consider every innocent American a potential terrorist. Something is dreadfully wrong. I feel the current TSA policy is plainly stupid, perhaps illegal. However, I am the pessimist here regarding any change to allow profiling. Meanwhile, go scan me all you like. I go to mikva, and the exposure is no big deal for me. If the TSA agents want to get their thrills from this, go right ahead. Just don’t stop me from getting on my flight on time.
This legislation is purely symbolic since the TSA rules preempt local security rules at airports such as those run by he Port Authority. Even if they “opt out” of the TSA rules, their private screeners must still meet TSA guidelines.
dov, please stop this now.
your intentions might be good but you need to weigh the consequences that this will bring about. if you’ll continue to profile a certain group we will ch”v see more cases like rubashkin where he was considered a flight risk merely because he’s jewish
Good Luck!!
Dov! U R right 0! But it shouldn’t come from your mouth, between me and U, we all know it will ever happen, why should we induce the hate between the jewish-muslim world? It would be much smarter if it can be done in a quiet manner, its just common sense.
“Hikind, who called the TSA’s body scanners and pat-downs “insane” and “invasive,” argues that TSA agents should be profiling young Muslim men and women of Arab or South Asian origin.”
I had a TSA pat-down two days ago. It was no worse than the pat-downs I get at some synagogues in Manhattan.
And the kind of profiling he describes would have resulted in the death of almost 400 people, as Ann Marie Murphy does not fit that profile.
“Every case of recent terrorism has been committed by individuals from a Middle Eastern country,”
This is a false statement. Just this year there have been terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland, Serbia, Rwanda, France, Columbia, Myanmar, Canada, Kosovo, and Argentina, that have nothing to do with the middle east.
We must target the real terrorists. It is only Muslins who blow themselves up. We must check them more carefully than anyone else. This is common sense. 4 year olds and 80 year old women are not terorists. Stop the maddness now!
If your elderly grandmother with prosthetics after breast surgery is exempt, guess which double D’s the next bomb will be packed in.
Interesting situation…I favor profiling but also realize that there have been acts of terrorism comitted by regular looking Americans. TimothyMcVeigh was white and had a crew cut. Part of the problem is that these lunatics are recruiting American born social misfits to join their cause.
finally…
Everyone keeps saying racial profiling is the answer. It’s not. The only answer which for some reason isn’t even being mentioned is BACKGROUND CHECKS. Employers do it, government agencies do it. There should be a rule that you cannot board a plane without first being “checked out” – which countries you’ve recently been to, if your name shows up on some watch list, etc. The last attempted major airplane bomb was a guy who was on a “no fly list”. If they can refine their system, make it much more robust, they will know – not based on what a guy looks like – but based on all his current and past affiliations and involvements in anything remotely terror-related – then we’re talking about a non-racist yet very effective strategy for stopping people who are the most likely to be a threat.
Invasive scans would likely not have caught the 9-11 attackers or the undie-bomber.
Some “suspicious behavior” checking, plus metal detectors, plus explosives sniffing dogs, might be a better combination.
Save the naked x-rays for those needing extensive screening.