A GOP candidate's promise: Racial profiling
Airports should only screen people who "look like" terrorists, says Republican congressional primary hopeful Dan Fanelli in a new TV spot
How can a GOP candidate distinguish himself in a crowded Florida congressional primary? For Dan Fanelli, a Tea Party enthusiast and former airline pilot, the answer was easy: Make a TV ad that promotes racial profiling as the best way to catch terrorists. In the spot, Fanelli (a long shot to take on Democratic incumbent Alan Grayson) points to a middle-aged white man and asks, "Does this look like a terrorist?" Then a younger, darker-skinned man steps up and Fanelli says, "Or does this?" Good god, says Jed Lewison in Daily Kos. Racial profiling isn't just "hateful"—it doesn't work. If we made it policy, we'd be "giving terrorists a guide on how to avoid being detected." The ad, says Greg Sargent in The Washington Post, is a signal of a growing tension in America, the "larger argument over the Arizona law, terrorism, and racial profiling." Watch a local Fox station's news report here:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peace
Cartoons Artists take on alternative timelines, missing participants, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The AI arms race
Talking Point The fixation on AI-powered economic growth risks drowning out concerns around the technology which have yet to be resolved
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis world
In the Spotlight The timing of the suspension handed down to the world's best male tennis player has been met with scepticism
By The Week UK Published