Head Shots, Silouhettes, Profiles

"Hmm...Dark hair, shaved beard, fingering prayer beads, nope. Next, uh..no. Lots of people wear those heavy coats and mumble at the ground. Probably left his shopping cart in the alley. Seems to be sweating a lot though. That could be the booze."

"How about him!?! Big backpack, looks middle eastern. Ought to check him."

"Naw, I see that all the time. Quick! Stop that one!"

"Hey, you with the mukluks and dogs. Stop. And take off that grass skirt."

"Whadda ya doing? You can't take dogsleds onto the subway."

Find any bombs yet? Maybe this will work:

Critics protest that profiling is prejudicial. In fact, it's based on statistics. Insurance companies profile policyholders based on probability of risk. That's just smart business. Likewise, profiling passengers based on proven security risk is just smart law enforcement.
Besides, done properly, profiling would subject relatively few Muslims to searches. Elderly Muslim women don't fit the terrorist profile. Young Muslim men of Arab or South Asian origin do. But rather than acknowledge this obvious fact,


Truth be told, commuters need to be most aware of young men praying to Allah and smelling like flower water. Law enforcement knows this, and so should you. According to a January 2004 handout, the Department of Homeland Security advises United States border authorities to look out for certain "suicide bomber indicators." They include a "shaved head or short haircut. A short haircut or recently shaved beard or moustache may be evident by differences in skin complexion on the head or face. May smell of herbal or flower water (most likely flower water), as they may have sprayed perfume on themselves, their clothing, and weapons to prepare for Paradise." Suspects may have been seen "praying fervently, giving the appearance of whispering to someone. Recent suicide bombers have raised their hands in the air just before the explosion to prevent the destruction of their fingerprints. They have also placed identity cards in their shoes because they want to be praised and recognized as martyrs."

Froggy Ruminations passed this onto me via the NY Times. At the latter, registration is required. BugMeNot is your friend.