Originally Posted by
PatrickHenry1775
Rather than assigning SSSS and performing secondary screening on American 80 year old grandmothers who do not alarm the WTMD or otherwise seem out of the ordinary, devote extra screening to males under the age of 50 who are from the Middle East or who have traveled to/from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, etc. This sort of extra screening is not profiling based on religion, but rather the most prudent use of screening resources.
Um.....I don't understand this point at all. How is it not profiling to devote extra time to males under 50 who are "from the Middle East?" That, my friend, is profiling based on national/regional origin. I'm always ashamed of my country when I am sitting in my seat and a guy of Middle Eastern descent walks by, his boarding pass scrawled with "SSSS" in huge letters. This poor guy was targeted because of how the id checker perceived his origin. (It's almost as bad as profiling based on religion, but actually, religious profiling isn't supposed to happen because your religion doesn't appear in/on your travel documents, and it is highly illegal for any officers--TSA or otherwise--to ask you about your religion.)
The other thing you mention, screening based on travel patterns (lots of entry stamps to Afghanistan, etc.) is NOT improper profiling. In fact, I think is a legitimate, non-discriminatory way of deciding who needs additional screening.