Raul Ramos y Sanchez's Blog, page 11
September 18, 2012
Wall Street insider: "The private sector is fine"
An online ad for a Wall Street investment counselor I saw today offered a report predicting the effects of the presidential election on the economy. Intrigued, I downloaded the report.
Here is what the firm had to say regarding the current state of the U.S. economy:
The negative emphasis can be even more pronounced in an election year as the out-of-power party has every incentive to say the economy is terrible--even when it's not. And the in-power party doesn't want to contradict them too vehemently and seem out of touch. Recently, President Obama was excoriated by the press, the opposition and even members of his own party for saying the private sector is doing "fine." Later, he walked the comments back. (This is what's known as a "Washington gaffe"--when a politician accidentally says something he means.) The private section is indeed fine--but that's not politically expedient rhetoric.*
The investment firm's forecast is not an economic Armageddon should the Democrats retain the White House.
Either outcome--a re-elected Democrat or newly elected Republican--has yielded strongly positive market returns on average in past election years.
Make no mistake, this firm wants to sell stocks to investors. So their motives are suspect. However, it is also clear that the motives of the opposition party are equally biased when they paint an overly negative picture of the economy.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
*Copyright 2012 Fisher Investments. Used under Fair Use laws.
[image error]
Wall Street insider: The economy is fine
An online ad for a Wall Street investment counselor I saw today offered a report predicting the effects of the presidential election on the economy. Intrigued, I downloaded the report.
Here is what the firm had to say regarding the current state of the U.S. economy:
The negative emphasis can be even more pronounced in an election year as the out-of-power party has every incentive to say the economy is terrible--even when it's not. And the in-power party doesn't want to contradict them too vehemently and seem out of touch. Recently, President Obama was excoriated by the press, the opposition and even members of his own party for saying the private sector is doing "fine." Later, he walked the comments back. (This is what's known as a "Washington gaffe"--when a politician accidentally says something he means.) The private section is indeed fine--but that's not politically expedient rhetoric.*
The investment firm's forecast is not an economic Armageddon should the Democrats retain the White House.
Either outcome--a re-elected Democrat or newly elected Republican--has yielded strongly positive market returns on average in past election years.
Make no mistake, this firm wants to sell stocks to investors. So their motives are suspect. However, it is also clear that the motives of the opposition party are equally biased when they paint an overly negative picture of the economy.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
*Copyright 2012 Fisher Investments. Used under Fair Use laws.
[image error]
September 15, 2012
Picking up Bin Laden’s mantle
Osama Bin Laden’s goal was no secret. He wanted to drive a wedge between the West and Muslims, to create an international jihad. The end result would be to drive the West out of Muslim areas. Bin Laden’s mission failed. Instead of rising against the West, the Arab spring movement helped drive several Middle Eastern autocrats from power. For the first time, it seemed the area might become fertile ground for democratic reform.
Then, another group of hate mongers stepped into the picture.
The makers of an absurdly cheesy film using an inflammatory depiction of the prophet Mohammed while hiding behind the freedom of speech provided in the United States has managed to do what Bin Laden could not.
How far the current unrest will go is anyone’s guess. But it only underscores the ignorance and pent up animosity beneath the surface in the Islamic world – and the West as well. The misplaced hatred on the streets of Cairo may beget equally misplaced hate on Main Street in the USA.
Our leaders will need to steer a course of reason. We cannot let the extremists continue to control the dialog.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
[image error]
August 21, 2012
GOP censures Akin, ignores other heinous comments
Republican party leaders are calling for Todd Akin to withdraw from his U.S. Senate bid in response to the outrage stirred by Akin's "legitimate rape" comment. Looking at the U.S. political landscape, it's not hard to understand why.
The GOP cannot afford to slip any more among women. There are roughly 5 million more women than men in the United States, and among citizens who bother casting a ballot, 46.2% of women vote as opposed to 45% for men.
So women is one group Republican candidates cannot afford to demamgogue. The same does not hold true for Latinos.
Where was the GOP censure after the following outrageous statements by Republican politicos?
"Put a damn fence on the border going to Mexico, and start shooting."
Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher at a campaign rally in Arizona (story)
"If shooting these immigrating feral hogs works maybe we have found a [solution] to our illegal immigration problem.”
Kansas State Rep. Virgil Peck suggest illegal immigrants should be shot from helicopters. (story)
US border agents should be empowered to “shoot to kill.”
Georgia’s State Rep. John Yates (story)
Immigrants seen entering the country illegally should be shot on sight
Kennewick, WA city council candidate Loren Nichols (story)
The "legitimate rape" comment by Todd Akin was reprehensible. It's a shame the GOP has not come forward to censure these other Republicans for equally heinous comments.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
[image error]
The class of 2016 has never seen an airline ticket
Ready to feel like a fossil? Each year Beloit College issues the Mindset List, a nonscientific compilation meant to remind teachers that college freshmen see the world in a much different way. Here is that list for the graduating class of 2016.
___________________________________________ The Mindset List for the Class of 20161. They should keep their eyes open for Justin Bieber or Dakota Fanning at freshman orientation.2. They have always lived in cyberspace, addicted to a new generation of “electronic narcotics.”3. The Biblical sources of terms such as “Forbidden Fruit,” “The writing on the wall,” “Good Samaritan,” and “The Promised Land” are unknown to most of them.4. Michael Jackson’s family, not the Kennedys, constitutes “American Royalty.”5. If they miss The Daily Show, they can always get their news on YouTube. 6. Their lives have been measured in the fundamental particles of life: bits, bytes, and bauds.7. Robert De Niro is thought of as Greg Focker's long-suffering father-in-law, not as Vito Corleone or Jimmy Conway.8. Bill Clinton is a senior statesman of whose presidency they have little knowledge.9. They have never seen an airplane “ticket.”10. On TV and in films, the ditzy dumb blonde female generally has been replaced by a couple of Dumb and Dumber males. 11. The paradox "too big to fail" has been, for their generation, what "we had to destroy the village in order to save it" was for their grandparents'.12. For most of their lives, maintaining relations between the U.S. and the rest of the world has been a woman’s job in the State Department.13. They can’t picture people actually carrying luggage through airports rather than rolling it.14. There has always been football in Jacksonville but never in Los Angeles.15. Having grown up with MP3s and iPods, they never listen to music on the car radio and really have no use for radio at all.16. Since they've been born, the United States has measured progress by a 2 percent jump in unemployment and a 16 cent rise in the price of a first class postage stamp.17. Benjamin Braddock, having given up both a career in plastics and a relationship with Mrs. Robinson, could be their grandfather.18. Their folks have never gazed with pride on a new set of bound encyclopedias on the bookshelf.19. The Green Bay Packers have always celebrated with the Lambeau Leap.20. Exposed bra straps have always been a fashion statement, not a wardrobe malfunction to be corrected quietly by well-meaning friends.21. A significant percentage of them will enter college already displaying some hearing loss.22. The Real World has always stopped being polite and started getting real on MTV.23. Women have always piloted war planes and space shuttles.24. White House security has never felt it necessary to wear rubber gloves when gay groups have visited.25. They have lived in an era of instant stardom and self-proclaimed celebrities, famous for being famous.26. Having made the acquaintance of Furby at an early age, they have expected their toy friends to do ever more unpredictable things.27. Outdated icons with images of floppy discs for “save,” a telephone for “phone,” and a snail mail envelope for “mail” have oddly decorated their tablets and smart phone screens.28. Star Wars has always been just a film, not a defense strategy.29. They have had to incessantly remind their parents not to refer to their CDs and DVDs as “tapes.”30. There have always been blue M&Ms, but no tan ones.’31. Along with online viewbooks, parents have always been able to check the crime stats for the colleges their kids have selected.32. Newt Gingrich has always been a key figure in politics, trying to change the way America thinks about everything.33. They have come to political consciousness during a time of increasing doubts about America’s future.34. Billy Graham is as familiar to them as Otto Graham was to their parents.35. Probably the most tribal generation in history, they despise being separated from contact with their similar-aged friends. 36. Stephen Breyer has always been an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.37. Martin Lawrence has always been banned from hosting Saturday Night Live.38. Slavery has always been unconstitutional in Mississippi, and Southern Baptists have always been apologizing for supporting it in the first place.39. The Metropolitan Opera House in New York has always translated operas on seatback screens.40. A bit of the late Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, has always existed in space.41. Good music programmers are rock stars to the women of this generation, just as guitar players were for their mothers.42. Gene therapy has always been an available treatment.43. They were too young to enjoy the 1994 World Series, but then no one else got to enjoy it either.44. The folks have always been able to grab an Aleve when the kids started giving them a migraine.45. While the iconic TV series for their older siblings was the sci-fi show Lost, for them it’sBreaking Bad, a gritty crime story motivated by desperate economic circumstances.46. Simba has always had trouble waiting to be King.47. Before they purchase an assigned textbook, they will investigate whether it is available for rent or purchase as an e-book.48. They grew up, somehow, without the benefits of Romper Room.49. There has always been a World Trade Organization.50. L.L. Bean hunting shoes have always been known as just plain Bean Boots.51. They have always been able to see Starz on Direct TV.52. Ice skating competitions have always been jumping matches.53. There has always been a Santa Clause.54. NBC has never shown A Wonderful Life more than twice during the holidays.55. Mr. Burns has replaced J.R.Ewing as the most shot-at man on American television.56. They have always enjoyed school and summer camp memories with a digital yearbook.57. Herr Schindler has always had a List; Mr. Spielberg has always had an Oscar.58. Selena's fans have always been in mourning.59. They know many established film stars by their voices on computer-animated blockbusters.60. History has always had its own channel.61. Thousands have always been gathering for “million-man” demonstrations in Washington, D.C.62. Television and film dramas have always risked being pulled because the story line was too close to the headlines from which they were ”ripped.”63. TheTwilight Zone involves vampires, not Rod Serling.64. Robert Osborne has always been introducing Hollywood history on TCM.65. Little Caesar has always been proclaiming “Pizza Pizza.”66. They have no recollection of when Arianna Huffington was a conservative.67. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has always been officially recognized with clinical guidelines.68. They watch television everywhere but on a television.69. Pulp Fiction’s meal of a "Royale with Cheese" and an “Amos and Andy milkshake” has little or no resonance with them.70. Point-and-shoot cameras are soooooo last millennium.71. Despite being preferred urban gathering places, two-thirds of the independent bookstores in the United States have closed for good during their lifetimes.72. Astronauts have always spent well over a year in a single space flight.73. Lou Gehrig's record for most consecutive baseball games played has never stood in their lifetimes.74. Genomes of living things have always been sequenced.75. The Sistine Chapel ceiling has always been brighter and cleaner.
[image error]
___________________________________________ The Mindset List for the Class of 20161. They should keep their eyes open for Justin Bieber or Dakota Fanning at freshman orientation.2. They have always lived in cyberspace, addicted to a new generation of “electronic narcotics.”3. The Biblical sources of terms such as “Forbidden Fruit,” “The writing on the wall,” “Good Samaritan,” and “The Promised Land” are unknown to most of them.4. Michael Jackson’s family, not the Kennedys, constitutes “American Royalty.”5. If they miss The Daily Show, they can always get their news on YouTube. 6. Their lives have been measured in the fundamental particles of life: bits, bytes, and bauds.7. Robert De Niro is thought of as Greg Focker's long-suffering father-in-law, not as Vito Corleone or Jimmy Conway.8. Bill Clinton is a senior statesman of whose presidency they have little knowledge.9. They have never seen an airplane “ticket.”10. On TV and in films, the ditzy dumb blonde female generally has been replaced by a couple of Dumb and Dumber males. 11. The paradox "too big to fail" has been, for their generation, what "we had to destroy the village in order to save it" was for their grandparents'.12. For most of their lives, maintaining relations between the U.S. and the rest of the world has been a woman’s job in the State Department.13. They can’t picture people actually carrying luggage through airports rather than rolling it.14. There has always been football in Jacksonville but never in Los Angeles.15. Having grown up with MP3s and iPods, they never listen to music on the car radio and really have no use for radio at all.16. Since they've been born, the United States has measured progress by a 2 percent jump in unemployment and a 16 cent rise in the price of a first class postage stamp.17. Benjamin Braddock, having given up both a career in plastics and a relationship with Mrs. Robinson, could be their grandfather.18. Their folks have never gazed with pride on a new set of bound encyclopedias on the bookshelf.19. The Green Bay Packers have always celebrated with the Lambeau Leap.20. Exposed bra straps have always been a fashion statement, not a wardrobe malfunction to be corrected quietly by well-meaning friends.21. A significant percentage of them will enter college already displaying some hearing loss.22. The Real World has always stopped being polite and started getting real on MTV.23. Women have always piloted war planes and space shuttles.24. White House security has never felt it necessary to wear rubber gloves when gay groups have visited.25. They have lived in an era of instant stardom and self-proclaimed celebrities, famous for being famous.26. Having made the acquaintance of Furby at an early age, they have expected their toy friends to do ever more unpredictable things.27. Outdated icons with images of floppy discs for “save,” a telephone for “phone,” and a snail mail envelope for “mail” have oddly decorated their tablets and smart phone screens.28. Star Wars has always been just a film, not a defense strategy.29. They have had to incessantly remind their parents not to refer to their CDs and DVDs as “tapes.”30. There have always been blue M&Ms, but no tan ones.’31. Along with online viewbooks, parents have always been able to check the crime stats for the colleges their kids have selected.32. Newt Gingrich has always been a key figure in politics, trying to change the way America thinks about everything.33. They have come to political consciousness during a time of increasing doubts about America’s future.34. Billy Graham is as familiar to them as Otto Graham was to their parents.35. Probably the most tribal generation in history, they despise being separated from contact with their similar-aged friends. 36. Stephen Breyer has always been an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.37. Martin Lawrence has always been banned from hosting Saturday Night Live.38. Slavery has always been unconstitutional in Mississippi, and Southern Baptists have always been apologizing for supporting it in the first place.39. The Metropolitan Opera House in New York has always translated operas on seatback screens.40. A bit of the late Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, has always existed in space.41. Good music programmers are rock stars to the women of this generation, just as guitar players were for their mothers.42. Gene therapy has always been an available treatment.43. They were too young to enjoy the 1994 World Series, but then no one else got to enjoy it either.44. The folks have always been able to grab an Aleve when the kids started giving them a migraine.45. While the iconic TV series for their older siblings was the sci-fi show Lost, for them it’sBreaking Bad, a gritty crime story motivated by desperate economic circumstances.46. Simba has always had trouble waiting to be King.47. Before they purchase an assigned textbook, they will investigate whether it is available for rent or purchase as an e-book.48. They grew up, somehow, without the benefits of Romper Room.49. There has always been a World Trade Organization.50. L.L. Bean hunting shoes have always been known as just plain Bean Boots.51. They have always been able to see Starz on Direct TV.52. Ice skating competitions have always been jumping matches.53. There has always been a Santa Clause.54. NBC has never shown A Wonderful Life more than twice during the holidays.55. Mr. Burns has replaced J.R.Ewing as the most shot-at man on American television.56. They have always enjoyed school and summer camp memories with a digital yearbook.57. Herr Schindler has always had a List; Mr. Spielberg has always had an Oscar.58. Selena's fans have always been in mourning.59. They know many established film stars by their voices on computer-animated blockbusters.60. History has always had its own channel.61. Thousands have always been gathering for “million-man” demonstrations in Washington, D.C.62. Television and film dramas have always risked being pulled because the story line was too close to the headlines from which they were ”ripped.”63. TheTwilight Zone involves vampires, not Rod Serling.64. Robert Osborne has always been introducing Hollywood history on TCM.65. Little Caesar has always been proclaiming “Pizza Pizza.”66. They have no recollection of when Arianna Huffington was a conservative.67. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has always been officially recognized with clinical guidelines.68. They watch television everywhere but on a television.69. Pulp Fiction’s meal of a "Royale with Cheese" and an “Amos and Andy milkshake” has little or no resonance with them.70. Point-and-shoot cameras are soooooo last millennium.71. Despite being preferred urban gathering places, two-thirds of the independent bookstores in the United States have closed for good during their lifetimes.72. Astronauts have always spent well over a year in a single space flight.73. Lou Gehrig's record for most consecutive baseball games played has never stood in their lifetimes.74. Genomes of living things have always been sequenced.75. The Sistine Chapel ceiling has always been brighter and cleaner.
[image error]
August 20, 2012
Sadly, Akin is more consistent on abortion than Romney & Ryan
During an interview on a St. Louis television station, U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin said he was opposed to abortion -- even in instances of rape.
“It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Mr. Akin said of pregnancies from rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.
The outrage at Akin's comments even reached the GOP presidential nominees.
“Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin’s statement,” a campaign spokesman for the GOP candidates said. “A Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape.”
However, Akin's position on abortion is more consistent than that of Romney and Ryan who support abortion only in cases of rape. Here's why: If a fertilized egg is indeed "innocent life", then ending any life would be murder -- even in the case of rape. Would Romney and Ryan favor euthanizing infants of rape if the pregnancy came to term?
Of course, this warped logic assumes a woman is subservient to one of her fertilized eggs and she has no right to make a choice about her own body. And therein lies the reason why most people are reluctant to intrude on the reproductive rights of women.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
[image error]
August 19, 2012
The true face of racism
Many on the far right over the last few years have grown fond of calling minority members "racists." The example of Sonya Sotomayor comes most quickly to mind. Newt Gingrich among many others claimed Sotomayor was a "racist" because she dared suggest that a "wise Latina" judge might have more insights into minority issues than a Non-Hispanic male.
The Associated Press article below shows what it truly means to be a racist.
_________________________________________
[image error]
Suspects in NW crime spree accused of hate crimes
By By STEVEN DUBOIS, Associated Press
A young couple accused of killing four people in a multistate crime spree last fall have been indicted of federal racketeering charges alleging the rampage was part of a campaign to "purify" and "preserve" the white race, the U.S. Attorney for Oregon, said Friday.
A grand jury handed up the indictment Thursday against David "Joey" Pedersen, 32, and Holly Ann Grigsby, 25, prosecutor Amanda Marshall said in a news release. Grigsby will be arraigned Monday in Seattle. Pedersen's arraignment in Portland hasn't been scheduled.
"The indictment in this case alleges horrendous crimes were committed as part of defendants' white-supremacist campaign to kidnap and murder targets on the basis of race, color, religion and perceived 'degenerate' conduct," Marshall said.
They are charged in the killing, kidnapping and robbery of four people last fall: Pedersen's father, David "Red" Pedersen, and stepmother, Leslie "DeeDee" Pedersen, on Sept. 26 in Everett, Wash.; Cody Myers, a 19-year-old from Oregon on Oct. 1; and Reginald Clark, 53 of Eureka, Calif., on Oct. 3.
Clark was black and Grigsby allegedly told investigators that Myers, a Christian, was killed because his name sounded Jewish.
The 24-page indictment charges that Pedersen and Grigsby were members of a criminal enterprise whose aim was to promote a white supremacist movement. The pair robbed their victims to finance the campaign, stole their cars to escape and murdered them to eliminate witnesses and avoid capture.
[image error]
August 15, 2012
Anaheim disturbances echo turmoil in Amiens, France
French police officers take position during clashes with youths in Amiens, France, 14 August 2012. Photo: Guillaume Clement/EPAAmiens, France, was once again the site of distubances between immigrants and authorities yesterday, creating a chilling reminder of the recent turmoil in Anaheim, California. From the Associated Press:
AMIENS, France (AP) — Months of tension between police and young people in a troubled district of northern France exploded on Tuesday, with in a night of violence. Seventeen officers were injured, a pre-school and public gym were torched, and at least three passing drivers in Amiens were dragged from their cars.
At the height of the confrontation, 150 officers — both local and federal riot police — faced off against young men who fired buckshot and fireworks at them, skirmishing through the neighborhood in the city about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Paris. There were no arrests.
The immediate cause of the riots was unclear, but a standoff between police and people attending a memorial for a young man who died in a motorcycle accident may have been one trigger. Officials underlined that police were not involved in the death.
Relations between police and youth in housing projects have been troubled for years, perhaps decades. Riots occasionally erupt, often in the hot nights of August, when France's rich and middle classes head off for long vacations but poor and immigrant families in the projects stay home. In recent days, there has also been unrest in the southern city of Toulouse, where rival groups in two housing projects have been battling for a number of days
__________________________________________
The parallels between Amiens and Anaheim are impossible to ignore. In both cities, a permanent underclass of immigrants is chafing at their marginal status. Unemployment in immigrant neighborhoods in both the U.S. and France is higher than the national average. Adding to the volatility is a youth population among the immigrants in both countries that is also higher than the mainstream average.
Left unresolved, this is the recipe for continued unrest.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls is badgered by the crowd in Amiens, Aug. 14, 2012, after a riot in a deprived area of the city left 16 police officers injured, a primary school severely damaged by fire, and a sports center completely destroyed. (Philippe Huguen, AFP / Getty Images)
The shell of a burnt out car is seen in a neighborhood of Amiens, France, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. Dozens of young men rioted in a troubled district in northern France after weeks of tensions, pulling drivers from their cars and stealing the vehicles, and burning a school and a youth center. The police department in Amiens says at least 16 officers were hurt by the time the riot ended Tuesday, some by buckshot. (AP Photo/Georges Charrieres)(AP2012)
[image error]
Anaheim disturbances echo upheaval in Amiens, France
French police officers take position during clashes with youths in Amiens, France, 14 August 2012. Photo: Guillaume Clement/EPAAmiens, France, was once again the site of distubances between immigrants and authorities yesterday, creating a chilling reminder of the recent turmoil in Anaheim, California. From the Associated Press:
AMIENS, France (AP) — Months of tension between police and young people in a troubled district of northern France exploded on Tuesday, with in a night of violence. Seventeen officers were injured, a pre-school and public gym were torched, and at least three passing drivers in Amiens were dragged from their cars.
At the height of the confrontation, 150 officers — both local and federal riot police — faced off against young men who fired buckshot and fireworks at them, skirmishing through the neighborhood in the city about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Paris. There were no arrests.
The immediate cause of the riots was unclear, but a standoff between police and people attending a memorial for a young man who died in a motorcycle accident may have been one trigger. Officials underlined that police were not involved in the death.
Relations between police and youth in housing projects have been troubled for years, perhaps decades. Riots occasionally erupt, often in the hot nights of August, when France's rich and middle classes head off for long vacations but poor and immigrant families in the projects stay home. In recent days, there has also been unrest in the southern city of Toulouse, where rival groups in two housing projects have been battling for a number of days
__________________________________________
The parallels between Amiens and Anaheim are impossible to ignore. In both cities, a permanent underclass of immigrants is chafing at their marginal status. Unemployment in immigrant neighborhoods in both the U.S. and France is higher than the national average. Adding to the volatility is a youth population among the immigrants in both countries that is also higher than the mainstream average.
Left unresolved, this is the recipe for continued unrest.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls is badgered by the crowd in Amiens, Aug. 14, 2012, after a riot in a deprived area of the city left 16 police officers injured, a primary school severely damaged by fire, and a sports center completely destroyed. (Philippe Huguen, AFP / Getty Images)
The shell of a burnt out car is seen in a neighborhood of Amiens, France, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. Dozens of young men rioted in a troubled district in northern France after weeks of tensions, pulling drivers from their cars and stealing the vehicles, and burning a school and a youth center. The police department in Amiens says at least 16 officers were hurt by the time the riot ended Tuesday, some by buckshot. (AP Photo/Georges Charrieres)(AP2012)
[image error]
August 12, 2012
Racial profiling widespread at airport security?
From the today's New York Times:
More than 30 federal officers in an airport program intended to spot telltale mannerisms of potential terrorists say the operation has become a magnet for racial profiling, targeting not only Middle Easterners but also blacks, Hispanics and other minorities.
In interviews and internal complaints, officers from the Transportation Security Administration’s “behavior detection” program at Logan International Airport in Boston asserted that passengers who fit certain profiles — Hispanics traveling to Miami, for instance, or blacks wearing baseball caps backward — are much more likely to be stopped, searched and questioned for “suspicious” behavior.
“They just pull aside anyone who they don’t like the way they look — if they are black and have expensive clothes or jewelry, or if they are Hispanic,” said one white officer, who along with four others spoke with The New York Times on the condition of anonymity.
_____________________________________
Just as it's impossible to identify a terrorist by sight, it's also impossible to discern the prejudices of the individual officers screening passengers.
This report proves the system is working -- on two counts. First, we have not seen more 9-11s. Second, the racial profiling by individuals in the TSA system has been exposed.
And for those who think minorities are the first place to look for terrorists, consider these individuals: Timothy McVeigh, Ted Kaczynski and Wade Michael Page, to name a few.
Also, if real terrorists know that grandmas or parents with small children will be given a pass at security screenings, that would be a green light to exhort these people into terrorist activities.
Racial profiling isn't simply morally repugnant. It's also stupid.
However, it's astonishing to hear how incensed most mainstream Americans get when they are personally inconvenienced. It's OK for Joe Arpaio and his minions to run "sweeps" in Latino neighborhoods detaining anyone who they suspect of looking suspicious -- even when they are U.S. citizens. But when Non-Hispanic Whites get questioned at an airport, then it's a matter for the Supreme Court to stop the draconian TSA.
Most remarkably, the TSA is operating to protect the entire U.S. population from a proven terrorist threat. The only thing Joe Arpaio is protecting us from is a guy from Jalisco working at a car wash without a visa.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
[image error]
