Freedom?
Reader comment on item: Time to Profile Airline Passengers?
in response to reader comment: I disagree!

Submitted by Daisy (United States), Aug 25, 2006 at 17:13

Rodni, You quote: "Those who would sacrifice Freedom over security deserve neither!" Ben Franklin"

You know Rodni, I don't know about you, but I don't feel particularly free as I'm getting felt up by airport 'security' - and that while I clearly have not one single line item within my identity that would place me in the same league as 'terrorist' (and no, "being born human" is too broad a category).

So, no, I don't experience freedom standing in as a proxy terrorist. In fact, I feel trapped in amoral stupidity disguised as 'security'. While within the domain of airport 'security' I'm not even allowed to express dissatisfaction over these disgraceful facts. I object to this silencing - not because I might be subjected to social ostracism if I speak out against this practice (part of the price of freedom and one I'm willing to pay) - but because any variation from complete, abject resignation to these searches places me in direct conflict with the airport 'security' personnel which would subject me to even more annoying scrutiny and not further my freedom one iota.

As such, I consider my freedom of expression to be extremely compromised if not eliminated for 'security' practices already in place.

Furthermore, freedom is not being served while children born within the 9-11 era are routinely searched or witness their family members searched - and dismally witness searches of the elderly, the infirm etc. A distinct lack of freedom has now become normalized for the youngest, most impressionable members of our society. Profiling pertinent Muslims as a routine matter has the distinct social advantage of enhancing our security and paradoxically, rather than alienating Muslim members of our society, by dropping current insane levels of denial Muslims would be included in a responsible and American solution oriented fashion rather than problem oriented .. you know .. "step up to the plate" .. "do your bit for the USA" etc.

Making conditions that allow for this cooperative attitude to flourish ... instead of enabling backwardness disguised as 'honor' etc .. would go far in the assimilation of Islam (if, indeed, that's possible). I think it's worth a try. Using intelligence (both upper and lower case!) in order to responsibly profile and search air-travelers would serve freedom .. not detract from it. This is not an either freedom or security proposition Rodni .. it's a matter of both security and freedom. I think Ben Franklin would certainly agree .. after all .. he had to put up with the predecessors to today's terror mongers - the Pirates of Islam who terrorized the high seas he traveled upon.

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