[lymnCymment]

In some ways we can never do what the Israelis do......they have one major airport....we have hundreds of major airports. So our cost of implementing either technology or human security is prohibitive.

But I do think that we can take some methods and policy ideas. I've been through security at Ben Gurion and personally didn't see profiling as a bad thing. I wasn't set aside, but my Chinese traveling companion was. I was asked more questions than the usual airport, but then let though. My co-worker was led away and reported that they simply asked him more detailed questions in a private room. It took about 30 minutes. When you are profiled in an airport, you are asked more questions and perhaps your belongings are searched. It's not like being arrested, charged, brutalized or humiliated.

Airport security should be able to act on a complaint, or as little as a suspicion or a hunch. Sometimes they will be wrong, but of course, given the stakes, it is rational to err on the side of caution. For the sake of public safety, we have all lost some liberty at the airport......the racial or ethnic proportion of screening will absolutely not be balanced or equitable, but then neither has the racial or ethnic makeup of previous hijackers/bombers. Security screening is just not something that can be 100%, so they're dealing with odds for successful prevention......and the odds are that an Arab-looking person is both more likely to be screened, but also more likely to be a terrorist.