Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2001 09:40:39 -0700 To: dave at farber.net From: Rohit Khare <Rohit at KnowNow.com> Subject: Profiling, from the front lines Cc: adam at KnowNow.com, taylor at ics.uci.edu
Prof. Farber --
I was writing this up for FoRK, but even without the Google access I need to add up the facts and background URLs and argumentative bullets to justify my assertions, I thought I'd share it with you. I'm not interested in "whining" to IP, but you have my support to quote this to if you think this is a relevant data point.
My friend Danny Lewin was one of many victims of this war. His memory only makes me more committed to preserving the America of September 10th.
-- Rohit
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Well, it's beginning. I'm writing aboard an Air Canada flight out of San Francisco. Every brown passenger was hand-searched. I'm OK with it for now, but I thought I'd share my facts.
You can find proper discussion across the net on "selectees", which is what you can become if you don't produce the silly ID-so-we-can-make-our-seat-license-money check. You can leave it at home, or refuse on principle, all it means is that you still get to board after a positive bag-match and hand-search carryons. Whatever any gate agent ever threatens you with, no Federal, state, or local regulation exists to forbid boarding without ID.
Except, as famously known, for the Captain's personal whim. Disobeying a crewmember is a Federal offense, but their violation of civil rights is a tort offense. Wheels of justice and all... AC recently deboarded a deaf muslim passenger who merely went to the lavatory while still on the ground. I quote from the Globe and Mail: "[his behavior] bothered the passengers". Said behavior being signing to his traveling companion that all was well.
I will also spare you the number of "real" holes in the security process. A laptop battery alone is a great concealer.
All I can report back to you is that there's nothing quite as unsettling as actually living through the moment where you, as an American citizen on a minor cross-border jaunt for the weekend, with your profile and FF status and college sweatshirt, are deemed worthy of having your underwear searched in front of the waiting, white masses.
I'm not angry; I'm not even sure it's unjust. Statistically, I'm afraid, it just makes sense. But in a war alert combined with FBI Skyfall mongering, rigidity sets in. A foolish consistency, as it were.
The selectee set for this fairly full flight was 1) all 3-4 "Indian" men; 2) 2-3 "dark" East Asians -- not the overtly Chinese, that I could see; and, frankly, most chillingly of all, a young woman wearing a "WAR IS MURDER" banner.
I felt more crushed for her rights than mine. She was sardonic and resigned about the civil liberties at stake, but a pierced lip and liberal heart, even with white skin, says there's freedom of expression, but no right of acceptance.
Just a data point.
Rohit Khare
Founder & CTO
KnowNow, Inc.
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