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Preface: This page actually contains two parts. The first part is a "test" to which I strongly object. The second part is my response to the "test." Read the test first, draw your own conclusions, and then read my response. The "test" and my response were both posted to Famnet, the online mailing list for parents of U. S. Air Force Academy cadets, on 6 November 2002. |
A lot of Americans have become so insulated from reality that they imagine America can suffer defeat without any inconvenience to themselves. Absolutely No Profiling! Pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. These events are actual events from history. They really happened! Do you remember? HERE'S THE TEST 1. 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by: a. Superman b. Jay Leno c. Harry Potter d. A Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40 2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by : a. Olga Corbett b. Sitting Bull c. Arnold Schwarzenegger d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by: a. Lost Norwegians b. Elvis c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women d . Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 4. During the 1980’s a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by: a. John Dillinger b. The King of Sweden c. The Boy Scouts d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by: a. A pizza delivery boy b. Pee Wee Herman c. Geraldo Rivera d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by: a. The Smurfs b. Davey Jones c. The Little Mermaid d. Muslim male extremis ts mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by: a. Captain Kidd b. Charles Lindberg c. Mother Teresa d. Muslim male extremists! mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by: a. Scooby Doo b. The Tooth Fairy c. The Sundance Kid d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by: a. Richard Simmons b. Grandma Moses c. Michael Jordan d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by: a. Mr. Rogers b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill’s women problems c. The World Wrestling Federation d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by: a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd b. The Supreme Court of Florida c. Mr Bean d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against: a. Enron b. The Lutheran Church c. The NFL d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by: a. Bonnie and Clyde b. Captain Kangaroo c. Billy Graham d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 No, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you? So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winner and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone lest they be guilty of profiling.
The "test" was a listing of some of the terrorist activities committed over the past 40 years, specifically the ones committed by "Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40."
The test notably omits the Oklahoma City bombing, committed by white American males (veterans, even) in 1995. It makes no mention of the serial killers who have terrorized our nation, many (most?) of which were white American males — remember Ted Bundy, 1974-78? — and at least one of which was a Chinese-American. It doesn't mention the white Americans, male and female, who tried to take over Wasco County in rural Oregon in 1984, by poisoning all the other citizens of the county.
We all face a greater danger than terrorism every day, but it doesn't seem to bother most Americans. It's called "drunken drivers." Take all the deaths from the terrorist acts listed in the "test" and add them up, and you still won't have the number of people killed by drunken drivers in the United States EVERY YEAR. We would save many more lives, and make America a safer place to live, if we could somehow eliminate all the drunken drivers on the road. Heck, we know where they're trained, and where they acquire their weapons. We can even figure out, by following the trail of empty beer cans, where they live and what kind of vehicle they drive. Why don't we do anything about that?
The test attempts to show that racial profiling is fair by blaming a selection of terrorist acts on "Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40." However, too many Americans will read the test and conclude that it's fair to prejudge all "Muslim males between the ages of 17 and 40" as "extremists". Did you know that the U. S. Air Force Academy chaplain corps has a Muslim chaplain? Do you know who he serves? He serves "Muslim males between the ages of 17 and 40"! American soldiers, no less! Should we subject them to racial profiling, too?
I flew from Colorado Springs to Canada and back in autumn 2001, shortly after the skies were reopened. I took my turn in the random screening at the four airports I passed through. I surrendered my pocket knife when I forgot that I had it with me. I acknowledged that it was an inconvenience that we would have to live with from now on. But I did not surrender to the hateful prejudice with which too many Americans are treating "Muslim males between the ages of 17 and 40" just because they happen to be Muslim, male and between 17 and 40 years of age.
I had hoped that the era when Americans prejudged people based on their skin color, religious background and age was a thing of the past. I do hope I wasn't wrong.
Thoughtfully
Ray Depew
Created by Ray Depew, 09 July, 2008
© 2008 by Ray Depew. May be copied or reproduced for personal use only.
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Last edited by Ray Depew, 09 July, 2008