Improving our odds against terror

[Kagemusha]

I think Tribesman is right there should be also the figures of whole people of Britain.

[rasoforos]

Why do we bother with posts like that?

Just read one paragraph:


We could start with a little age-pruning -- no one under, say, 13, no one over, say, 60. Then we could exempt whole ethnic populations, a list that could immediately start with Hispanics, Scandinavians and East Asians. Then we could have a huge saving, a 50 percent elimination of waste, by giving a pass to women, except perhaps the most fidgety, sweaty, suspicious-looking, overcoat-wearing, knapsack-bearing young woman, to be identified by the presiding officer.


What next? White people can sit at the front of the bus and the 'rest' at the back? Good old tried american method....

[Tribesman]

I think Tribesman is right there should be also the figures of whole people of Britain.
Well my point was there are Welsh/Scots and Irish nationalists all of which have had groups involved in terrorism who would have little loyalty to Britain , plus Cornish nationalists who as far as I know havn't taken the violent option yet (unless you count the annual confrontations around Rock and Polzeath ) then you have the eurocentrics who consider themselves primarily European rather than British and large numbers from various ethnic origins and those who basically have no notions of "patriotic loyalty" whatsoever .

While it is alarming that some people feel the suicide bombings were justified and some more people feel some sympathy with whatever it is they think the bombers were trying to achieve (what was the question they were asked"do you have sympathy with those who oppose the actions of Britain in the Middle East ? " or "do you have sympathy with people who blow up innocent people on trains ? " ) .
I don't consider it that big a deal and the authors use of the figures is misleading .
And as for this bit....
Then we could exempt whole ethnic populations, a list that could immediately start with Hispanics, Scandinavians and East Asians.
How can you visually differentiate between some Hispanics and North Africans or some Malaysians and Chinese , what happens if you let a Hispanic Phillipino suicide bomber walk through while you are stopping an Middle Eastern Maronite .
Any one read about that incident on the NY tour bus last week where they took off the 5 Asian suspects ?
Ooops sorry ,we thought you were Pakistanis not Indians

[Adrian II]

Why do we bother with posts like that?

They're informative, if only because they point to the prevalence of bad ideas. Mr Krauthammer belongs to the half of mankind that thinks most issues are 'really simple if you look at them'. Taxation is really simple. Crime is really really simple and foreign policy is even simpler. So national security must be a no-brainer, right?