Discrimination

First, I give you the classic quote, always trotted out in discussions like this:"Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain Security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."Thomas Jefferson.So, along with Mr. Jefferson, I will stand for my right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure.The meaning of that wise aphorism from one side is clear. The freedoms granted us by the Bill of Rights should be held dearly and defended unto death, but what of the second part? Giving up those freedoms in search of security will only loose you the freedoms and not give you the security you want is the rest of what Jefferson says.He's right. Security is an illusion, a blanket to make people feel better. Security, as in real safety from attack, is an impossibility. Only very minor degrees of change in risk can be affected. Before I moved into IT (where a large part of my job is security, ironically) I worked in security. Not a rent-a-cop or even law enforcement, but facility security for a very large hospital. No amount of procedure or checking can make a real difference.The security we maintained for, say, the animal research facility was a good deal higher then that required for airline passengers but still could never be really effective. For security procedures to really work, they must be overwhelming and impossible to live a normal life within, such as the protection accorded the President of the United States.Security procedures in reality serve two purposes, to give the public a false sense of safety and to lower insurance rates for the institution implementing them.So, as I don't think too highly of people desperate for false assurances and I couldn't care less then I do about anyone's insurance rates other then my own, singling out anyone based on appearance is something I do not support.