[geeks] Rights abuses was: Glad I don't live in Texas!

[wa2egp at att.net]

> I am also not advocating complacence, I just hate profiling and
> unlimited investigative powers.  Didn't we just have a huge stink about
> NJ police profiling for traffic stops etc?  And now as a nation we are
> "all for it"

I can't blame you about those "unlimited investigative powers".  I hate
seeing the Constitution being eroded away.  Then again, the most efficient
way of cutting down the time it takes to search is to profile since you limit
the number of individuals you need to search. (I'm not condoning it, just
giving a reason why it may be done that way.) 

The NJ profiling was done for years to try to stop the flow of drugs (usually
profiling was for young white males; nobody said boo about it.) but didn't hit
the news until a certain "stop" with a parties of a certain ethnic group. 
The state since had a study done by an independent group on "traffic" on the
Turnpike and wouldn't release the results officially since it indicated that a 
greater percentage of certain groups were speeding and driving recklessly, thus 
were stopped more often.  Of course this would have been moot if the troopers
had camcorders in their cars like most other states.

  I don't know about you, but I can't tell the gender of a person in a car
300 ft. in front of me much less the ethnic group.  And this is a little different
than seeing someone at an airport.  I don't think the comparison is fair.