Political Corectness must stop

by Adam 31 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Shutterbug

  The Murrah building was bombed by a fellow by the name of Tim McVea who was from the state of New York who was no more of a cowboy than the Pope. You could have picked a better example.

  Congressman Dingle has had hip replacement surgery and the metal in the replacement sets off alarms at airports. A while back he was stripped down to his underwear as a result of these alarms. I am 180 degrees politically from the congressman, but he is not going to hijack an aircraft, so why waste time searching him ???

  Let's get real here. Bug
• 

  Gollum

  In a short term sense, I don't disagree. However, I think it's important to consider the law of unintended consequences. For example, if you were targeting the KKK in Alabama, and you decided to pull over every middle aged white guy and searched them when they left the state, what would you really accomplish? You might catch a few people at the very first, and an occasional complete idiot after that, but that would be extent of the upside. On the down side, you would piss off every middle aged white guy in the state, and perhaps make some of the sympathizers.

  Now, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be some extra scrutiny on certain people that fit a profile. On the other hand, you go very far down that path, and suddenly everybody who isn't you starts looking at you like the enemy. The West is going to need friends in the Arab world if we don't want to be dodging bombs all the time, and singling out the people who will most likely be most sympathetic to the West (ie, students, business men, techies, plus the guy at the kwiki-mart) is probably not the best way to win friends.

  It's a fine line, and I don't think there are easy answers on this. The "kill em all, and let God sort it out" just ain't going to work no more.
• 

  Gollum

  Shutterbug,

  If you will notice, I didn't say McVeigh was a cowboy, I said he was a redneck. Rednecks live everywhere, hell, I was one while growing up and into my early twenties Which means I'm pretty good at spotting the breed, and he sure as shotting was a redneck.
• 

  Gollum

  So, I sign up on the board like four days ago, and I swore I wasn't going to get involved in any political postings. Now, it's like four days later and half my posts are in a political thread. Sigh, I am so frigging weak. I can resist anything except temptation.
• 

  happyout

  I don't disagree totally, but I think people are forgetting that there have been "Americans" who converted and became terrorists. So, it would be a not be a good idea to "only" search those who look like young Islamic males. And, I believe with time, they will also alter their appearance (dye their hair, wear western clothing, etc) to bypass the initial easy search. There has already been one documented case where a young female was asked to wear a suicide bomb and disguise herself in western garb to avoid detection. I do agree, though, that stopping little old ladies is a bit much.
• 

  Shutterbug

  Gollum,

  The people who wear cowboys hats and large belt buckles are rednecks ? That is how you identify rednecks ?? You would have missed Tim MeVea by using that description. Bug
• 

  Gollum

  Shutterbug,

  Well, as I hoped was obvious, that was more of a parody/ joke kind of thing, not an honest attempt to set new screening standards. Though I would stand by the suggestion that cowboy hats and dinner plate belt buckles are a leading indicater of potential redneckness Probably could throw CAT baseball caps in there too. Also, like I said, I'm not meaning to diss rednecks, they are my people, and I come from rednecks way back.

  And as far as that screening missing McViegh, I couldn't agree more, and is part of the point I was (apparently poorly) trying to make.
• 

  Adam

  Gollum, political bickering is fun dude! Check my post just prior to this one titled "Political." It originaly started as an accidental enter button while preparing this one, but I've since added an interesting political topic to it. Thoughts?
• 

  CoonDawg

  Okay...so I do agree that PC has gone too far. Having said that, I think that your thread could also be extrapolated to include all sorts of racial or religious groups. I do think it's a fine line. Part of the problem comes with the ones who complain the loudest perpetuating the stereotypes.

  As long as there is a need for security, there will always be those who pre-qualify others in the name of protection. Just try being a young black man walking into a convenience store w/ your FUBU's hangin' off your ass and all your bling-bling on...

  Coon
• 

  Gollum

  Adam,

  Since you invited me to semi hijack your thread (can you hijack your own thread?) I'll put in my two cents on the politics is fun thing.

  I agree, it's a hoot. Which is why I couldn't resist shooting of my fingers. The one thing I dislike with many political threads is they get very black and white, and I find myself defending positions, that while I hold them, doesn't give the full picture of what I believe. I think other people tend to do the same. Then it just falls apart into a name calling session until the "nazi rule" gets invoked.

  As much as I sometimes dislike many of those that practice it, (Kissenger comes to mind) and the results that come about from it (bombing of Cambodia) I think the only way politics on the international stage can be conducted is via realpolitik. Idological stances almost always turn around and bite you in the bum. It's one of the main issues I have with the Bush adminstration. They took an idoglogical stance, and sort of took this "sole remaining superpower" thing a little too much to heart. They could probably have gotten what they wanted with much less grief if they didn't go around irritating their natural allies for no good reason. And mostly when people are discussing politics, it's from an idological standpoint, which probably doesn't map to what really happens that well.