Justin Darr, July 12, 2005

One of the most disturbing issues coming out of the investigation of the terrorist attacks on London’s public transportation system is the fact Scotland Yard, one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world, has no solid leads as to who the suspects in the attacks are. This little is assumed: the attackers where most likely not directly connected to Al Qaeda but inspired by them, and the attackers where probably British nationals living within the community they attacked. You can add one more assumption to this list. The attackers where Muslim, and this is where the problems begin. Despite the fact that a quick search of the FBI and Interpol’s lists of most wanted international terrorists shows the one common thread connecting them all is the fact they are Muslims, political correctness has made stating this "hate speech," and applying extra scrutiny to the Muslim community in search of terrorist elements "discrimination." This is why there are no leads in the investigation of the London bombing. The British people and law enforcement are so indoctrinated into the leftist belief that it is wrong to use "profiling" as a tool to identify suspicious activity that they will ignore it if they actually see it.

Unfortunately, this type of examination of the Muslim community is precisely what is needed to help prevent terrorism at home. I hate to say such a thing. The vast majority of Muslims are wonderful, law biding citizens who have never done anything to hurt anyone. But the harsh reality remains that despite the good character of most Muslims, international terrorists come from their ranks.

Michael Smerconish, in his book "Flying Blind," vividly illustrates this point in regard to the screening requirements of the American airline industry. Smerconish shows how TSA rules make it so airport screeners could be found in violation of the law if they happen to pull a few as two members of the same ethnic or religious group in a row for secondary screening regardless of any suspicious behavior they may exhibit. The message the TSA, the media, and politically correct culture are sending to the public is plain. If you see something suspicious, keep your mouth shut or risk being labeled a bigot. Even if you made a report would it be followed up? Or would it be sent to the back burner because it goes against the grain of the inhibiting politically correct standards imposed on law enforcement?

If the standards of the airline industry were the same as those of the local police and FBI, would your call to them do something like this?

"Hi, I’d like to report four men carrying a four foot long heavy box with a blinking red light onto it into the back of the local mosque."

"Hmm. What makes you think this is a threat?"

"Well, when they dropped the box they all ran away screaming and hid behind a concrete wall, then one of them yelled, ‘No! it must be buried in the school playground first!"

"So, you are saying that just because these men are Muslims, they must be planning a terrorist attack on a school. Well, you are nothing but a big fascist. If we send an officer, we might aggravate these poor people’s stress at having dropped their obviously very important box with a blinking red light before they could bury it at the school. Sorry, sir, but we are far more intelligent, moral, and compassionate than you."

"But these are the same men who just last week showed up at my neighbor’s house and asked if he had an extra radiation/biohazard suit because theirs got torn on a centrifuge in their basement. And, when he said ‘No’, one of them ran up, stabbed his dog and yelled ‘You’re next, infidel.’"

"Yes, we made the mistake of investigating that report, and the men in question said the dog was suicidal out of guilt over America’s occupation of Iraq. They tried to help, but there was nothing they could do. And their radiation/biohazard suits are used for nothing but protecting themselves from the ravages the Bush Administration has inflicted on the environment."

"Did you look in the basement?"

"That’s confidential, sir. Anyhow, our sting operation at the Kiwanis Club has failed to yield any international terrorist suspects, so if we would investigate these men again that would make two investigations in a row of the same religious group, so we must find a two or three non-Muslim international terrorist suspects in town to investigate first to ensure that we are being inclusive in our criminal prosecutions before we go back. Maybe we can take a look at it in six months or so."

"But these men might be terrorists!"

"Terrorist-AMERICANS, sir. Now, if the box with the blinking red light happens to be a bomb and explodes injuring or killing a member of your family, would you like to enroll in advance for some sensitivity training courses to better understand how you are to blame for the wonton violence committed by these men?"

While this above is obviously exaggerated and silly, so are the dictates that political correctness imposes upon us.

Political correctness forces people to question themselves and their motives at the expense of common sense. In an age of asymmetrical warfare, where our enemies intentionally seek to take advantage of the freedoms our society offers to undermine our safety, the vigilance of the general population to help law enforcement stop terrorists is a prerequisite to preventing further attacks. And, vigilance is impossible when people are more concerned about offending others than protecting themselves.

Copyright © 2005 Justin Darr