Why profiling doesn't work.
I frequently hear conservative commentators complain that our approach to airport security is being crippled by political correctness. Their argument is that we should be focusing on Muslim-looking men, instead of inconveniencing everyone with random searches. Their example of how silly our current system is always involves some elderly grandmother being searched.
The problem, of course, is that terrorists adapt. If you only search people who fit a certain profile, they'll start recruiting people who don't. This was dramatically demonstrated today, when a 68-year-old grandmother detonated a suicide bomb, wounding two Israeli troops in the Gaza strip.
It's easy to fall into the trap of always fighting the last war. Just because all of the 9/11 hijackers were male and looked Arab doesn't mean the same will be true of the next attack. That is why random airport searches, to be effective, have to potentially involved everyone -- including 68-year-old grandmothers.
The problem, of course, is that terrorists adapt. If you only search people who fit a certain profile, they'll start recruiting people who don't. This was dramatically demonstrated today, when a 68-year-old grandmother detonated a suicide bomb, wounding two Israeli troops in the Gaza strip.
It's easy to fall into the trap of always fighting the last war. Just because all of the 9/11 hijackers were male and looked Arab doesn't mean the same will be true of the next attack. That is why random airport searches, to be effective, have to potentially involved everyone -- including 68-year-old grandmothers.
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