A July 22 editorial in The Washington Times about new TSA screening policies claimed that the Department of Homeland Security's “obsession with political correctness and refusal to identify Islamic extremism as the source of terrorism is the reason grandmothers and little girls are subjected to scrutiny that in other contexts merit felony charges.” In fact, security experts have said racial profiling is ineffective, and Bush administration Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has called it “misleading and, arguably, dangerous.”

From the editorial:

Travelers across the country are being forced into contraptions that use a form of radiation to peer beneath the clothing of passengers. Currently, TSA agents ogle these snapshots from the privacy of a secluded location. Under the new scheme, the machine will still perform the electronic strip search, but only a computer algorithm will be allowed to enjoy the peep show. In theory, software will examine the pictures and flag areas of potential interest. It's up to the flying public to trust that the devices will not save the underlying pornographic images that will still be taken. Given the agency's history of deceiving the public, such trust would be misplaced.

In fact, the Department of Homeland Security itself seeks to sow seeds of distrust with its “If you see something, say something” campaign. The program features a video portraying all white males as potential terrorists and encourages the reporting to the government of any “suspicious activity.” This recalls the system of denunciation favored by totalitarian regimes to identify and rid the state of undesirables.

This obsession with political correctness and refusal to identify Islamic extremism as the source of terrorism is the reason grandmothers and little girls are subjected to scrutiny that in other contexts merit felony charges. Unfortunately, the federal appeals court sees no problem with this and believes labeling it an “administrative search” exempts TSA from complying with the Fourth Amendment.

Previously:

Beck Sub Joe Pagliarulo Advocates TSA Profiling Rather Than Doing Extra Screening Of “Joe”

Juan Williams: The American people are asking, “What about profiling?”

Bolling: “Privatize” TSA and start “aggressive profiling,” including “cultural profiling”

Coulter advocates profiling: Terrorists “all look alike. They're all foreign-born ... They're all Muslim”

On Beck, Palin pushes for profiling: “We've got to profile ... those who we assume could do some damage on an airplane”