Profiling

Saw a thread on a forum I visit that asked the question of whether we should start profiling Muslims. Listened to a bit of the rightwing “news” shows that was just a bunch of anti Muslim rhetoric that listed assassinations, bombings and kidnappings by Muslim males between 17 and 40 since Sirhan Sirhan killed Bobby Kennedy.  One rightwing, Michael Savage supporting, Rush quoting blog, “The Elephant Bar” posted this “test” to prove that all Muslims are suspect and should be watched.

———————————-

HERE’S THE TEST

1. In 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by:

a. Superman
b. Jay Leno
c. Harry Potter
d. A Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by :

a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:

a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d . Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. During the 1980’s a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:

a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:

a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair
by:

a. The Smurfs
b. Davey Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens , and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:

a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:

a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:

a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. In 1998, the US embassiesin Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:

a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill’s women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:

a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:

a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:

a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

No, I really don’t see a pattern here to justify profiling, do
you Ft. Hood?

————————-

I copied and pasted the crap to show an example of the insanity of this line of “reasoning” along with the obvious omission of the many many other crimes and disasters done by both non religious weirdos and haters of other religions. The list didn’t include recent blatant acts of terror by G.W. Bush (a professed Christian) called “Shock and Awe”. Didn’t include Israels bombing of schools and hospitals in Palestine. The acts of terror by hard right Christians attacking doctors and other medical providers. The crimes of shooting up an office building in Orlando this week or even the other soldiers with no religious claims commiting murder on at least two military bases this week. Nothing about the dude that shot Virginia Tech up earlier this year.

But the call to profile a religious group and narrow it down to the males 17 to 40 is just crap in my eyes. I have been profiled for years. Not because of my religious affiliation, or lack of it. Not because of my political views nor my penchant for letting everyone know how I feel. Not because of the political groups I have been associated with over the years. Although these things come up in my FBI records the major profiling prejudice I have dealt with over the years came from the clothes I wear and the length of my hair.

Stopped and searched by local and state cops over the years so many times I can’t begin to count them. Tie dyed shirts call unwanted attention and couple those with hair hanging down my back the cops “”know” I am a drug runner. Living in a van, bus or motor home is a clue to them that I should be watched even more closely. I have had my truck tossed by the DOT cops so many times it became commonplace at weigh stations. Profiling is harrassment plain and simple.

My skin isn’t brown or yellow so I have only a little in common with racial profiling. My religious attire is non existent so I don’t really know what it is like to be watched because I believe in worshiping differently that “them”. I am not active with the Revolutionary Communist Party so I am not watched because I call for an armed overthrow of the US government. I am simply a “hippie” in their eyes and should be searched and watched.

So my answer to the haters is simply NO. The profiling of any group or individual for any reason is wrong. The crap our Muslim believing fellow citizens have gone through over the years is wrong. The anti Muslim sentiment in this country since the Trade Towers and Pentagon were bombed has increased and now will be going stronger.

I thought we lived in the land of the free.

That is just a joke.

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