"The government is still relying on feel-good methods and ignoring the obvious - profiling passengers works"

The U.S.is the world 's best when it comes to investigating accidents and mishaps, but it is performing rather poorly in trying to prevent terrorist attacks. It must adopt a proactive security system that would save citizens' lives as well as protect infrastructure.

The new Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II) that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)said it will start using will be based on insufficient background information.It defers to a mistaken notion of political correctness, such as not requesting passengers 'place of birth, for fear of "profiling." Airlines are not allowed to ask for pertinent details, and their staffs have not been instructed to question a passenger's personal behavior or background. Although it may be politically correct, it is difficult to argue that security agents should not pay special attention to passengers born in countries such as Syria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines - all countries that had and/or continue to support terrorist training. Additionally, CAPPS II will not have access to law enforcement information that would reveal a criminal record. Although they did not have criminal backgrounds, four of the 19 Sept.11 Al-Qaeda homicide hijackers had been on the FBI list as suspected terrorists before they entered the country. Had airlines been given the names of these suspects by the FBI, and instructed their chiefs of security to arrest them, we might have prevented their deadly attacks.

http://www.public-integrity.org/articles/publications35.htm