Terrorism and Profiling

There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy.
George Washington

During the Revolutionary War, prisoners and spies were accommodated as best as possible but not always treated in the most humane fashion. No one lost sleep worrying how the enemy would complain about the mistreatment of prisoners. Every battle did not have a press core reporting the activities. The Americans fought the war in a way that gave them the best advantage. They wanted to protect themselves, their families and their country. They wanted to win the war. These were men and women who were farmers, shop owners, and businessmen whose only goal was to defeat the British any way they could.

Now terrorists are engaging us in a war using tactics which they believe gives them the best chance to succeed. Although unconventional by our standards, they have managed to gain ground with fewer men, military resources and money than we have. The “War against Terrorism” needs to be fought in the same manner which we used in 1776. We need to fight to protect ourselves, our families and our country. We need to attack and operate in any way we can to achieve our mission. The terrorists are not fighting a “fair” war: Suicide missions, attacks on civilians, and using poisons are unfair. We are vulnerable, unless we are willing use tactics which we may not want reported in the press. We should not stoop to a terrorist’s level or mirror their tactics; however, we do not need to fight as if we’re in a gentleman’s duel. America has the military, technological and economic capabilities to combat the terrorists. We need to use all of them.

We are at a time in history when terrorism is a worldwide concern. It is a major problem, not a minor dilemma. Many terrorists do fit a profile. People are being murdered and attempts are made to overthrow governments. The risks are all too high to agonize that some may be bothered. Weighing the inconvenience of being profiled and questioned against the possibility of someone creating a disaster comes down on the side of being inconvenienced. Officials have a good idea of the age, habit, nationality and mannerisms of a likely terrorist. These would be likely people to question. That is profiling. Questioning others only for the sake of leveling out the number of people inconvenienced is a waste of time, money and an insult to our intelligence. In our current times, profiling, although distasteful, is a necessary evil. We all long for the time when it won’t be necessary.

Profiling is not improper; improper use of profiling is.

Taken from: “Essays from a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American”
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290615656&sr=1-1