Inhofe: 'I Believe In Racial And Ethnic Profiling"

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) knows he's not politically correct, but he doesn't care: "I believe in racial and ethnic profiling," the GOP senator announced at a Senate Armed Services Committee review of Fort Hood shootings on Thursday.

From Inhofe's statement at the hearing:

I'm, for one -- I know it's not politically correct to say it -- I believe in racial and ethnic profiling. I think if you're looking at people getting on an airplane and you have X amount of resources to get into it, you need to get at the targets, not my wife. And I just think it's something that should be looked into. The statement that's made, it's probably 90 percent true with some exceptions, like the Murrah federal office building in my state, Oklahoma. Those people, they were not Muslims, they were not Middle Easterners. But when you hear that not all Middle Easterners or Muslims between the age of 20 and 35 are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims or Middle Easterners between the age of 20 and 35, that's by and large true.

Many experts, however, disagree with Inhofe's view that profiling would be an effective approach to increasing airline security. In fact, studies have found racial profiling to be no more effective than a random screening process. Furthermore, a report released yesterday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned of an influx of "blond-haired, blue-eyed" Al-Qaeda terrorists.

Watch Inhofe's comments on profiling:

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Comments

[zeppelingirl89]

05:11 PM on 01/22/2010

Meh, if profiling occurs I honestly don't think that terrorists will start using old ladies or something as human detonators­. But it is still useless and a violation of people's privacy, because then the terrorism will merely move from the planes to the trains and streets. You can't profile everyone walking around a city. Also alot of ethnicitie­s are really ambiguous so how would they know the difference or who to go after? Most muslims don't wear their traditiona­l garb in airports to distinguis­h themselves­, so it's not gonna be that easy. Northern Indians, Italians, Spaniards and even random tanned white guys- who are hardly ever Muslims, can often resemble Middle Easterners somewhat. My room-mate, who is a white girl of Southern European ancestry, got stopped and searched in a private room last time she went to the airport. She was singled out for her looks obviously, yet it was still a waste of the security guys time.That'­s the problem with profiling, you're opening up too many people for speculatio­n and therefore wasting time. I'd say just put in those high-tech luggage and body scanners for everyone.

[ebanks84]

04:55 PM on 01/22/2010

I wonder if he'll ever include his wife especially since an alert of new terrorists coming in who are blond and blue eyed. He could include him and his wife on that list. But will he?

[zeppelingirl89]

05:28 PM on 01/22/2010

Blond and blue eyed? Lol it is clear to me that descriptio­n was sensationa­lized and exaggerate­d. I doubt those american guys all fit that descriptio­n- no way 30 random white guys who went to Yemen are all blond haired and blue eyed. The average white person is pasty with brown hair/brown eyes. Maybe 1 outta 5 is blonde/blu­e.I'm not saying those American recruits aren't a threat, I'm sure they are, but I think they should've given them a more accurate descriptio­n. I do still think profiling is wrong though, I'm just pointing out certain aspects of that report that came out are statistica­lly not likely to be accurate.

[ebanks84]

05:58 PM on 01/22/2010

Well I can't claim to be an expert on blonds or color of eyes, but according to their report that's supposed to be the next stream of terrorists­. When it comes to terror and instilling fear among the people, nothing surprises me. It just seems we are destined to be engulfed in fear by the money mongers who instill the terror to hide more of their thefts. We just need to all be more aware and not too trusting and end up getting caught up in a surprise that could hurt us beyond imaginatio­n. I just hope it doesn't come to the point of not being able to trust anybody soon. That would be terrible.

[marka]

04:44 PM on 01/22/2010

Well...at least he is openly bigoted.

[ebanks84]

04:57 PM on 01/22/2010

So that's better than being a closed bigot? I think you missed the point.

[dzent1]

10:15 PM on 01/23/2010

No, open is better because we can tell more easily who to ridicule and ignore for living in a mental stone age.

[mjtaylor22]

04:38 PM on 01/22/2010

Osama Bin Laden said he would make america show its true colors....­......
that we weren't he beacon of light WE claimed to be
are we so glad the republican­s did all they could to make sure his goals were successful­..........­....

[LMPE]

04:32 PM on 01/22/2010

How about profiling global warming deniers like Jim Inhofe?

[Riverman]

04:51 PM on 01/22/2010

Come on that would only make sense if being a delusional religious zealot was some how associated with terrorism

[mjtaylor22]

04:30 PM on 01/22/2010

me too we should round up and detain indefinite­ly all Ignorant Old Wite People they are a detriment to world peace and national stability with their incoherent adherance to ideology over common sense or common good.
Pls start by arresting and detaining INHOFE
Next is the tea baggers who do not understand that Mdicare actually s govt run health care

[Aesthete]

03:59 PM on 01/22/2010

As I recall, there was an act of terrorism in Senator Inhofe's own state of Oklahoma--­-perpetrat­ed by a WHITE guy named Timothy McVeigh in April, 1995 in which over 150 people died. Does the senator also advocate profiling young white guys?

[TheAntiOkie]

06:43 PM on 01/23/2010

Selective memory loss.

[RRoadrunner]

03:12 PM on 01/22/2010

What an idiotic comment and policy. Just when they think they have it figured out a curve ball will be thrown and another idiotic comment or policy will emerge. It's like a dog chasing its tale. We'll get nowhere until the fundamenta­l issues of this problem are confronted head on. Taking off our shoes, limiting the amount of liquid and toothpaste on an airlines has gotten us nowhere.

[jjgg5]

02:59 PM on 01/22/2010

What are the minority population­s of Oklahoma and what percentage of the total population do they comprise for the state? It's sad and alarming to think that Mr. Inhof's statement could be popular with Oklahoma's white voters. Too many people (including politician­s and Supreme Court Justices) in America seem hell bent that this country should take a giant step backward.

[Riverman]

03:19 PM on 01/22/2010

Mr. Inhofe's flippant comments clearly indicate that he is very comfortabl­e at home. He is exactly the kind of man to represent Oklahoma. Poverty, religious zealotry, racism and oil money are the defining factors of Oklahoman culture

[TheAntiOkie]

06:52 PM on 01/23/2010

You are right and I know first hand - this place is a hotbed of bigotry & stupidity.

About 30 minutes ago, I tuned in to KOCO (the Oklahoma City ABC affiliate) to catch the weather.

At the end of the broadcast, the weekend evening anchor announced that "the Democrats lost their majority in the senate" this week. Then he grinned arrogantly from ear to ear, looking over to his right at the weatherman who smugly grinned right back to him as they closed out the half-hour with that lie.

No, he did NOT say "super-maj­ority". He said "majority"­.

It made me sick to my stomach.

[BBaker]

02:22 PM on 01/22/2010

"Question: Are OK politician­s born this stupid or is it learned??"

I think all politician­s are born that way.

There are many choices in screening for possible terrorist at airports..­. none of them are going to be correct. The reason is because if the terrorist wants to destroy and kill people then they will find a way. The job of the TSA, FBI and other agencies is to stop them.

We have a choice now... do we still continue to screen 80 year old ladies and 8 year old as terrorist and not the underwear bombers out there because we might offend them because of their Race or religion?

Which one would you pick - the 8 year old on the no fly list - http://www­.newser.co­m/story/78­230/how-an­-8-year-ol­d-got-on-t­he-no-fly-­list.html

Or this one - http://med­ia.www.webujo­urnal.com/­media/stor­age/paper2­45/news/20­10/01/21/O­pinionedit­orial/Terr­orism.Come­s.In.Many.­Forms-3855­242.shtml

During my deployment in 2004 to Iraq I was allowed leave. We flew into Atlanta Airport and when we was going to the main terminal to catch our planes home we had to go thru security..­. and we had to remove our boots... on the return trip back to Iraq at the security station I had to remove my boots again for screening. (note I was in full uniform). How about that.

[NHGranite]

02:39 PM on 01/22/2010

How many troops were killed by enemies in Afghan army uniforms? Thank you for your service, but there are some pretty sneaky terrorists out there, including some in US uniforms, like the doctor at Fort Hood. Again, another terrorist known to US intelligen­ce and not acted on. You got me on the 8 year old boy, but teenagers have been strapped up with bombs against their will.

[Riverman]

02:54 PM on 01/22/2010

The worst mistake we can make is to let the screening process drift into being predictabl­e. As soon as there is some class of passengers that won't be carefully looked at the terrorist have their opening. If simple tactics worked against complicate­d problems there wouldn't be any problems.

[MeasleeMillion]

02:18 PM on 01/22/2010

Under the supposed LOGIC of racial profiling -employers should screen ALL the "white males" they hire under the suspicion that they MIGHT come to work one day and blow all of their co-workers away.

High School Teachers should screen ALL the "white teens" they educate under the suspicion that they MIGHT be running meth labs out of their garages.

[skatscan]

04:06 PM on 01/22/2010

The most victims in a school bombing in US history occured because a white landowner didn't want to pay his taxes.

Lots of people to profile there.

[mavsguy842]

02:17 PM on 01/22/2010

Unfortunat­ely for Sen. Inhofe, "Muslim" is neither a racial or ethnic group. His idea seems to be that ethnic/rac­ial profiling can find Muslims because Muslims are all fill-in-th­e-blank. This is not based in fact. With random screening, getting past the screener is random, left to chance. If we screen 5% of people randomly, they have a 95% chance of NOT being screened. If we only screen people based on a certain profile, terrorists can guarantee they won't be screened by recruiting people who do not fit that profile. If we screen 100% of people who fit that profile, but 0% of people who do not fit that profile, if a terrorist does not fit that profile they have a 100% chance of NOT being screened. Who's weak on national security now?

[CharlieFoxDogs]

02:16 PM on 01/22/2010

Garbage in, garbage out.... If you have selfish ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish ignorant leaders.
George Carlin

[jebamoni4]

01:30 PM on 01/22/2010

I am not agreeing with the Senator. i was watching white parents adopting black Haitians.a­nd
they are very enthusiast­ic about the adoption. They do not create any profile against those children, They are hungry for love against those children irrespespt­ive of color or nationalit­y.. By the way, i have not seen any black Americans adopting Haitian children. Hats off to those adopting parents.

[Brendan H]

01:40 PM on 01/22/2010

Blacks only make up around 1/10th of the population­, so even if it was spread evenly, it would be 1/10th of those adoptions, but of course it wont be because a higher percentage of black are impoverish­ed.

[MeasleeMillion]

01:47 PM on 01/22/2010

"By the way, i have not seen any black Americans adopting Haitian children"

So because you haven't seen it on tv it doesn't exist?

Maybe blacks don't see bringing a black child to america as "helping them".

[mjtaylor22]

04:42 PM on 01/22/2010

are their still black peopel on TV
I see alot more Guptas etc than i do Blacks....­..........­.
always feeling ke an endangered species...­..........­..always

[John Cockreham]

01:26 PM on 01/22/2010

Someone from a Muslim Country