No profiling?

It was good to see Commissioner Mark Miner and his new bride Cheryl at the Republican Club of Greater St. Augustine last month; when he came home on a short leave from deployment in Kuwait.

It was also good last weekend to hear Florida National Guard Adjutant General Titshaw welcome home the soldiers who had been serving in Mosul, Iraq from our local 3153rd Finance Detachment.

Our soldiers face danger from Muslim extremists every day. Unfortunately, we, as a nation, face the same, growing threat here in the United States. President Bush offered a false choice when he posed, “We have to fight them there — so we don’t have to fight them here.” We still have to fight them here.

Last November’s shooting incident at Fort Hood Army base in Texas left 12 soldiers and one civilian dead – 32 others injured. One Muslim male extremist, between the age of 17 and 40, opened fire at the soldier readiness center where troops were undergoing medical preparations before being deployed to Iraq.

I wonder if some Americans haven’t lost perspective of that; opting to be “politically correct” over being realistic. I’m going to be flying this weekend so this topic will be at the front of my mind as I’m no doubt ordered to take off my belt and take off my shoes, empty my pockets, turn on my computer, then stand for a frisk with a metal detector before I can proceed to my assigned gate.

Of course, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly a fanatic intent on killing us, airport security screeners can no longer profile certain people so that I can get to my gate on time. Instead, TSA officers must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President’s security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips — but overlook Muslim males between the age of 17 and 40 lest they be guilty of profiling.

Take the following multiple choice test and perhaps I’ll make my point with you.

1. 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 embassies in 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

Have I made my point?

(Test questions found on snopes.com)