"Those willing to give up liberty for security deserve neither." -Benjamin Franklin (apologies if I've messed up the quote)
I'm Indian, although I was born in the US. I consider myself as American as they come; I speak English without the SLIGHTEST accent, and the only other language I know is French. I dress like a normal college kid...cargo pants, t-shirt, etc. But--I don't trust the airport personnel to tell one "sand n*****" from another. No, I don't wear a turban or anything of the like, but to the uneducated, there's no difference between an indian or an arab. We're all "brownies" to them.
I had a flight back to LAX on Tuesday the 11th, at 4 PM. Obviously, it was cancelled, and I'm now stranded in Orlando waiting for the first available flight back to LA. I'm very much worried that I'll be forced to open my bags and suitcases for a search when trying to board a plane sometime in the near future (tomorrow perhaps). I have nothing but CDs, clothing, shoes, and a few computer parts in there, but it's such a pain to open a fully packed suitcase or bag. The bags are packed tight; I don't want them f*cking it all up.
My point: racial profiling is NOT excusable simply because of paranoia. It's faulty logic; just because most terrorists are arabs doesn't mean most arab-looking people are terrorists.