Profiling should be deemed acceptable under the circumstances of current and past events.

Just one quick question before I start. After reading your debate, it would seem that the subject is racial profiling at airports as opposed to racial profiling in general. One could argue that your opening facts are a tad misleading because they, unlike the rest of your argument, do not only include airport related incidents. While I will try my best to tackle all the problems with airport racial profiling, I will also look upon the matter in a broader sense. I'm confused by your use of logic in your third paragraph. You say that because all the 9/11 hijackers were Muslim, security should always use their descriptions against them. What about millions of people who look just like them that have to deal with unreasonable scrutiny? What about all the other possible terrorists that don't fit your description? Your points surrounding the New York Times article are also misleading. The article said that 9/11 might have been prevented after a message had been sent out to the CIA, giving them a physical description of the alleged terrorists. This is not a case of racial profiling. Racial profiling is when someone makes a decision solely based on physical description, without any other preceding evidence. If the CIA had a message sent out to them containing a physical description, that's not racial profiling. Before talking about the Gallup poll you cited, you said that many Americans are racist, using this as a way of justifying racism. Just because you say that many people are racists, that doesn't make it acceptable. Was racism any more fair back in the 1700's when slavery flourished in America? The answer is no. Something you have to understand about the Gallup poll, was that it was published only 19 days after 9/11. Of course people are going to be more lenient with racial profiling, when one of the worst attacks on American soil happened less than a month ago. Heightened fear and anxiety were motives for such a high percentage of people in favor of racial profiling. To prove my point, Fox News, one of the most conservative news stations out there, said that before 9/11, 33% of Americans approved of random bag searches. In the October following 9/11, that percent rose to 71%. The same poll, published on 2005, also concludes that 49% of Americans disapprove of racial profiling, while 42% agrees. Now I want to turn my attention to racial profiling outside of airport circumstances. In a poll conducted by Weitzer and Tuch in 2006, 73% of whites and 91% of African Americans disapproved of domestic racial profiling. I'm not saying this automatically makes it correct, I'm just stating some facts. Racial profiling in the name of national security is absurd. If one our country isn't safe enough, fine, increase security, but don't only increase security for those who fit the description of a common criminal. I also want to bring to your attention, the fourth amendment in the bill of rights. It grants every citizen safety from unreasonable search and seizure without probable cause. Skin tone is not probable cause, nor should it be. The acceptance of racial profiling would be a direct infringement of our country's constitution. Racial profiling would also go against the 14th amendment, which states that all citizens will be treated fairly under the law. It's impossible to accept racial profiling as fair, because people don't get to choose what color of skin they have. Those who fit the common criminal stereotype have to deal with it for their whole lives. Finally, you're line about the 70 year-old Asian grandmother is a perfect example of racial profiling. You labeled the fictional grandmother Asian to help support your claim, because Asians are one of the most uncommonly arrested races in America. You're limiting your ability to think about people freely when using such racial stereotypes. While you say racial profiling will benefit national security, it also unfairly singles-outs racial groups and leaves them with the short end of the stick. Is that the kind of American you want?