THE KEY WORD IS 'UNREASONABLE'

If a red-headed white man about 6 feet 4 inches tall is reported to have
committed a crime, you don't go searching for brown pygmies.

Our Constitution's Fourth Amendment importantly protects American freedom
by prohibiting "unreasonable" searches and seizures without a warrant. It
does not ban "reasonable" protective action.

The Supreme Court of the United States upheld that reasonable approach in a
test case this week.

Police seeking to curb illegal drugs entered a Greyhound bus in
Tallahassee, Fla. It was hot. But two men were wearing unusually heavy
clothing. Officers asked them questions, and got their permission for a
search. The police found bricks of cocaine strapped to the suspects' legs,
leading to their being convicted on drug charges.

The high court ruled 6-3 that was OK, that when suspicion was aroused and
permission was given, search was permissible.

In our war against terrorism, we must uphold the constitutional rights of
our people. But since all of those who have attacked us so far have been
men of Islamic Middle East backgrounds, we should not handcuff ourselves by
saying it would be "racial profiling" to check "the usual suspects" more
carefully than others, while respecting the Fourth Amendment and all other
"reasonable" legal protections.