Flying Blind

Rating:
Summary: Open your eyes to your habitual hypocrisy
Review: "Are there terrorist that fall out of this profile? Yes, of course there will be exceptions, but I believe their numbers aren't enough to change the overall batting average much."

First of all, Condoleeza Rice and George W. Bush were quoted as saying, "The terrorist only have to be right once, while we have to be right 100% of the time." If we are to believe the prior statement, your beliefs Joe T are insufficient and irrelevant.

Richard Reid a half-black/white French citizen that tried to blow himself up with C-4 in his shoe on a plane leaving France arriving in Florida was not Middle Eastern. The DC Snipers John Mohammed and Lee Malvo were repeatedly let go by the police at checkpoints because they (the police) were ordered to "P-word" white males who tend to be serial killers. I would recommend you tell the family members of the last six victims who may have needlessly died because of a racial profiling policy about your "batting average".

Do you not understand that these extremist are willing to strap bombs to their own women and children in order to strike Americans? Do you not understand that you cannot defeat an enemy with military force who is not only willing to die, but can't wait to die and take you with them? Focusing your attention on Middle-Eastern men seems practical on the surface, but if one approaches it from a more esoteric level and with a reasonable level of forethought you would understand that a heavily weighted racial profiling methodology is grossly biased and ineffective.

By the way, I did read that narrow-minded fear based shallow book. I'm surprised that a man would buy into such irrational illogical nonsense. You Sir deal with your emotions like a scared little girl...


Rating:
Summary: A true wake up call for the airline industry!
Review: I would have to say that if anyone starts touting this a "right-wing" book, then I accuse them of having not read the book at all. (Merely seeing the words doesn't count, just as hearing and listening are very different.)

Michael Smerconish writes a great book about how silly and ineffective our airline security has become. Perhaps his only mistake was getting an endorsement from Rep. Sen. Arlen Specter before going to print. Had he added Dem. Sen. Joe Lieberman to the cover, all those left wing loonies would have been forced to shut their traps.

This is not a Republican issue, this is not a Democratic issue. This book is also not an open invitation to use profiling as the only means of defense. Merely, the book tries to portray the fact that when it comes to dealing with terrorism, we are afraid of even whispeing the words "young arab males." A great read, for those who actually read.

Rating:
Summary: Not Just Profiling
Review: I'm not quite sure just what to believe about this book. Certainly it's true that the terrorists who did 9/11 fit a common profile. And yes, it makes a certain amount of sense to pay more attention to young, Arabic looking males travelling alone than it does to a friend of mine -- a 70 year old almost invalid heart patient whose Nitroglycerin spray bottle broke in his suitcase. (True. He had quite a time at the Seattle airport.) To the author this is political correctness gone crazy. But profiling has been used too many times to cover racial and other bias to simply say ignore it.

I think, however, that the author ignores too many other problems in his quest for profiling. For instance, I was flying from Taipei back to the US. There was a lot of talking in Chinese about something in my computer case. Eventually they found a razor - one of those throw away plastic ones just in case the airline decides to lose my baggage. After some discussion, I simply took the razor and threw it in a waste basket. On the plane they gave us a little kit of things to make the flight easier -- Yup, it included a razor just like the one that gave security such a problem.

I'm afraid that I think the problem is bigger than just profiling, it's Government.

Rating:
Summary: it's about we woke up to the realities of the world
Review: It's scary that some still think 9-11 was our fault. Let's understand the one common characteristic of all those involved in the event... they were radical muslims. Radical muslims who care to kill Christians and jews alike. Why? Because we do not follow their belief.

This book begins to place an honest and open context to the world we live in today. I have a 10 year old daughter that I will do anything to protect.

You should read this book and pass on it on to others. Maybe together we could get our congressman to do something about it.



Rating:
Summary: Open your eyes
Review: Michael Smerconish has done us all a great service by authoring this book. Hopefully its words will force some changes that I believe can make it safer to fly.

I own this book and have read it ... since a proof of purchase is not required to draft a review I believe this is a point worth mentioning.

READ THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU START SCREAMING FOR THE PROFILING POLICE !!!

If you read the book you will find that Mr. Smerconish does not suggest that we single out all Arab men of a certain age group for secondary screening. Instead, the author suggests that our existing screening process be supplemented to perhaps INCLUDE a person's country of origin, race, religion & appearance. Can we all at least admit that the Sept 11 perpetrators actually did have a few of these traits in common ???? (please look at their pictures in Mr. Smerconish's book if you are unsure, please refer to their countries of origin also mentioned in the book if you are unsure, ...)

Are there terrorist that fall out of this profile ? (I'm almost afraid to use the p-word) Yes, of course there will be exceptions, but I believe their numbers aren't enough to change the overall batting average much. The MAJORITY of radical Islamic terrorists we are at war with seem to have many traits in common. Read this book.

If these additional attributes were included on Sept 11 as part of the secondary screening process, maybe things would have turned out differently. Keep up the great work Mr. Smerconish.


Rating:
Summary: A Strong Dose of non-PC Reality
Review: Plain and simple, we all know who hijacks planes and commits acts of terror around the world. We know their region of origin, their religious views, and yes, what they look like. Michael lays out a compelling case that when it comes to airline safety, we need to profile NOW if we hope to identify these 1terrorists and keep them from ever taking down another American flight. Anyone tired of the pro-Muslim, pro-ACLU figureheads out there spewing PC venom will thoroughly enjoy this book. And if you hold the other point of view, give this one a read and see what you think.

Rating:
Summary: Common Sense
Review: Smerconish is an intelligent, thoughtful talk show host who writes an intelligent and thoughtful book. If you can get past the media hysteria over racial profiling--Smerconish is only suggesting that we return to the use of common sense in airport security.Ignore this book at your own peril.

Rating:
Summary: Anyone Who Supports This Is Nothing More Than A Racist
Review: Specifically looking at race and sex when profiling people at the airport is not only a lazy and narrow-minded methodology, but also dangerously stup!d.

First of all, Al-Qaeda and Taliban sympathizers John Walker Lindh and that Jose Padilla were not only NOT Middle Eastern, but they were American Citizens. The kid that flew his small plane into that building in FL was caucasian and a supporter of Al-Qaeda. There are Palestinian female suicide bombers in Israel who could pass for caucasian or Hispanic.

This book is not only racist but also incredibly nearsighted. Al-Qaeda is known to adapt, and as we all know, the faces of radical Islam comes in ALL shades and colors. I find it interesting that books like this were never written in support of profiling and searching of all white males that enter any government building after the Oklahoma City Bombing that killed almost 300 men, women, and children. I think we all know why that was not written about or touched upon. I also find it interesting how quick white people in this country are able to trample on everyone's civil liberties and freedoms except their own, all in the name of security. Please....

There are better and smarter methods of implementing airport security than racial profiling. The airlines in Israel and the UAE do not have the luxury to profile based on race (because everyone looks alike, you Id!ots!); they have to use more cerebral and inclusive methods to prevent hijackings. America should take lessons on airport security from these homogenous societies that experience terror on an even greater and more frequent scale than.

In conclusion, many many years ago as a youth I remember shoplifting lunch everyday from a 7-11 that was across the street from our high school. 3 black males (including myself) would huddle together inside the store while our CAUCASIAN friend would steal lunch for all of us; all while the 4 extra clerks (added for the school lunch hour) in each corner of the store would focus their attention on just the three black kids. Moral to the story...BEWARE OF RACIAL PROFILING!

PS
The characteristics of the typical shoplifter is a white female between the ages of 13 and 35. Yet we all know who gets followed by store security and it is not white women. I may have to write a book titled, "Shopping Blind; In Defense of Profiling White Women Who Shop"


Rating:
Summary: An eyebrow raiser!
Review: This is quite a book, describing the effect of political correctness on our national security. Almost unbelievable!

Fact: In early 1942, then-Governor of California, Earl Warren, who eventually became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, with the collusion of President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D), had all of the Japanese/American residents on the Pacific Coast and Hawaii, including U.S. Citizens, interred in what can only be accurately described as "concentration camps." Their property, in most cases, was confiscated and sold, including prime agricultural land.

The reason?: It was thought that they represented a threat, and the U.S. government was fanning racial hatred in time of war against our enemy. We have since paid token reparations on an individual basis, a couple generations and many ruined lives later.

How things have changed!

Today, we are at war with Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorists. In 1979, the U.S. Embassy in Iran was attacked by young Muslim Male extremists mostly between the ages of 17-40.


In 1983, the U.S. Marine baracks in Beirut was blown up by young Muslim Male extremists mostly between the ages of 17-40.

in 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70-year-old American passenger in a wheelcair was killed and thrown overboard by young Muslim Male extremists mostly between the ages of 17-40.

In 1988, Pan Am flight 103 was bombed over Scotland by young Muslim Male extremists mostly between the ages of 17-40.

On October 12, 2000, 17 U.S. Sailors lost their lives on the U.S.S. Cole, bombed by young Muslim Male extremists mostly between the ages of 17-40.

On September 11, 2001. four airliners were highjacked and flown into the World Trade Center and Pentagon by young Muslim Male extremists mostly between the ages of 17-40.

In December, 2001, a young Muslim male extremist tried to light a shoe bomb on a commercial jetliner.

In 2002, reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped on murdered by young Muslim Male extremists mostly between the ages of 17-40.

Since then, the scenario has been much repeated, with captives, including a woman humanitarian worker, in Iraq, being shot and beheaded, etc. The culprits, as you can see, are not hard to identify in this country, when they venture here to do their mischief.

But this author tells us that if more than two members of the same ethnic group, or who appear to be of the same ethnic group, are stopped at the airline for secondary screening, the airline will be fined for "profiling." If, for example, you have four or five young Muslim Males mostly between the ages of 17-40, you may only stop two of them for further searching or questioning, or be fined for profiling.

The world has changed, but not for the better.

If police are aware that cocaine smuggling in South Florida is being carried out massively, and that 90 percent of the traffickers are black males in new, big shiny black Cadillacs, who would you expect them to keep an eye out for on the highway?

But, they can't single them out. That would be profiling.

Has the country gone nuts, or what?

That is this author's question.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books








Rating:
Summary: Exposes the absurdities that pass for airline security
Review: To put it bluntly, "political correctness" has made a chronic mess of post-911 efforts to secure our country from Islamic terrorist attacks on our airlines, on our seaports, on our borders, on our infrastructure, and on our cities. Flying Blind: How Political Correctness Continues To Compromise Airline Safety Post by radio talk show host Michael Smerconish focuses specifically upon our airports and airlines and how anti-profiling tactics (first developed during the Clinton Administration and perpetuated under the Bush Administration) put 590 million airline passengers at risk every year for the past three years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Flying Blind exposes the absurdities that pass for airline security these days, but even more importantly, offers practical, effect, applicable solutions for fixing the problem of insecure airports, foolish nitpicking while the larger picture is ignored, and the shell game that's been going on (such as federalizing baggage inspector and airport security personnel by simply changing the color of their uniform jackets but providing little or no in service training to better do their jobs) to disguise just how vulnerable we continue to be. Flying Blind is a highly recommended wake up call -- especially in this time of a presidential politics charged atmosphere of posturing and disassembling by all sides.