Comments on: Now we’re afraid of T-shirts

By: Peter McGrath

Peter McGrath — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 08:40:22 +0000

We’ve had two occasions in Britain where people have been prosecuted – well, fined without due process of law – for wearing or selling ‘Bollocks to Blair’ t-shirts

By: WeeDram

WeeDram — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 14:01:57 +0000

“Webs, your idealism knows no bounds. If you’d like to write a full-length post explaining why ethnicity should never, ever, ever be a factor in directing the attention of antiterrorism matters”

Whoa, I don’t think he said that, at least I didn’t read that into what Webs posted.

You are spot on DOF, about the TSA not be responsible for the comfort level of other passengers, and that is ALL the BBC article was about. If Mr. Jarrar had been white and worn a T-shirt saying something like “Bush’s War in Iraq Sucks”, this would not have been an issue.

So yes, this is about fear. I don’t hear Bush saying like “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”. So, james, yeah, Bush is complicit in this. The Decider should be The Leader. But we all know that ain’t gonna happen. He’s too scared himself.

By: george.w

george.w — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 21:17:21 +0000

Webs, your idealism knows no bounds. If you’d like to write a full-length post explaining why ethnicity should never, ever, ever be a factor in directing the attention of antiterrorism matters, let me know when it’s done and I’ll link to it in the notes above next to Jarrar’s links.

Atyllah, that ‘Spot Operatives’ link is pretty scary reading… brrr!

By: webs05

webs05 — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 18:35:43 +0000

While I agree, we must remember, that Arab Americans like freedoms and liberty just as much as White Caucasian Americans. And encroaching on their liberties pisses them off just as much as encroaching on our liberties do to us. If we want to be the shinning example of freedom fine. But don’t say we are when you take away civil liberties of our own citizens.

By: george.w

george.w — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 12:06:18 +0000

There was that one executive order, but I also recall hearing him on a number of occasions admonishing Americans not to associate ‘Arab’ with ‘terrorist’, and he has been (intentionally, I think) very public with his Arab friendships to set a good example. Of course not everyone gets the message.

But calls against racial profiling need some refinements. While the great majority of terrorist attacks now are being carried out by ethnic Muslims, only a tiny minority of ethnic Muslims are terrorists. Keeping that ratio firmly in mind it would be foolish not to recognize ethnicity as one factor of many in the larger profiling context that is needed to catch the bad guys.

I am tempted to say that the greatest danger to our republic is oversimplification, but that would be an oversimplification

By: Atyllah

Atyllah — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 11:29:57 +0000

It strikes me that there is a plan to make humans roboticised - a kind of one sized fits all species. Thou shalt not speak out, though shalt all wear plain white t-shirts, thou shalt absolutely have no opinions and thou shalt be emotionless.
With uniformed Spot operatives patrolling our minds as part of airport security, the t-shirts we wear will be the least of our problems.

By: webs05

webs05 — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:42:37 +0000

Interesting Viewpoint on Bush’s Executive Order. This is the only executive order I can find. If I am missing something please let me know, because I was un-able to find a plethora of information on Bush calling for a cease to racial profiling. I certainly did not find several occasions of this.

It seems while Bush did issue an executive order, he left plenty of loopholes in it, for racial profiling to be legal, if the matter at hand is terrorism. So I consider his executive order on racial profiling to essentially be a step in the opposite direction, meaning he really hasn’t done anything to stop it.

By: george.w

george.w — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:30:14 +0000

James, if being an a* meant you couldn’t fly, airlines would stop making a profit real fast. If the guy was a terrorist or was carrying anything dangerous, they should have kept him off the plane. If not, I don’t think you can hijack a plane with a T-shirt - he flies. It isn’t the job of TSA to make sure everyone onboard is in comfortable agreement on issues.

Webs, while you are right about Bush’s setting the stage, I have to point out that he did order racial profiling to stop, on several occasions. Only thing is, when people are afraid, they want simple answers and “fear anything Arab” certainly is simple.

Follow the ‘Schneier on security’ link in the homepage sidebar for extended discussion of security issues including TSA stupidity. Hours of blood-pressure-raising entertainment.

By: webs05

webs05 — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:12:19 +0000

Wow so an A**hole sounds like somebody who stands up for their civil liberties to you… I think that says a lot in and of itself.

Bush is certainly involved, because he sets the stage. If he gave the order for all racial profiling of Arabs to stop, then people would listen. If Bush gave a speech about how Arabs did not attack us, but radical fundamentalists did, and we need to stop our hatred towards Arab, people would listen. And his situation in the Middle East would be a little smoother. The fact that Bush hasn’t done any of this shows to his character and nature. And to me signifies he has a pretty ethnocentric view of the world.

By: james old guy

james old guy — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:24:10 +0000

“He refused, arguing that the slogan was not offensive and citing his constitutional rights to free expression”

Sounds like an excuse to be an asshole to me. Of course if he had been smoking a cigarette the story would be different. Don’t know how Bush can be involved in the opnions of other passengers but I am sure someone will find some way to make it the presidents fault the public is paranoid and not the fault of radical muslims.