[Hoot Gibson]

^ I'd like to, but circumstances dictate our actions. Not sure where you are going with this, but is it fair to profile? Isn't profiling what you are talking about. Sorry if everytime I get on a plane and I see someone of middle-eastern culture, that I don't profile! I will for the rest of my life.

I was thinking in more general terms when I responded to the OP. You raised some valid points that apply to situations where we feel threatened.

I believe that profiling is appropriate as a survival tool. Dress, nationality, language, accent, and in some cases race are all appropriate factors to use for initial threat assessment but behavior is the most important tool.

It has been said many times before, but not al Muslims are terrorists, but most modern terrorists are Muslims. Pretending that native born Americans boarding planes in the US represent the same potential threat that Muslims from the Middle East, Somalia, Indonesia, etc. present is just plain stupid.

It is fair to use profiling as part of the screening process that determines who may board a plane, although it is obviously an inconvenience to the majority of Muslims who are not terrorists threats.

It is also fair, when a serial killer is being sought for a string of murders to focus on white males, even though some serial killers have been non-white and non-male.