ANTHRAXING WHILE CAUCASIAN
Aug. 7th, 2008 02:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogOne of the fun things about speculative SF is when reality gets in the way. For example, just when I was finishing up Greg Bear’s Quantico, which offers a possible explanation for the anthrax letters of 2001 and the person responsible, suddenly the FBI announces that they’ve cracked the case.
No doubt you’ve heard all about that by now. One of the things that probably won’t get much mention is that the suspect, Bruce Ivins, is NOT a scary-looking brown guy in a turban.
Which is worth mentioning since far too many people in the US (some of whom have nationally syndicated newspaper columns and radio and TV shows, and also work in the FBI) still seem to think that if yr a brown guy in a turban who worships Allah – or, failing that, yr Rachael Ray – yr probably an Enemy Of America and a terrorist.
I suppose the good news is that the FBI doesn’t base ALL of its anti-terror investigations on whether yr a Muslim. If they did, Ivins (and Hatfill before him) wouldn’t even be a suspect.
Anyway, I thought I’d just throw that out. For the record.
READ MORE ABOUT IT: Bruce Schneier explains why racial profiling doesn’t work.
It wasn’t me,
This is dF
No doubt you’ve heard all about that by now. One of the things that probably won’t get much mention is that the suspect, Bruce Ivins, is NOT a scary-looking brown guy in a turban.
Which is worth mentioning since far too many people in the US (some of whom have nationally syndicated newspaper columns and radio and TV shows, and also work in the FBI) still seem to think that if yr a brown guy in a turban who worships Allah – or, failing that, yr Rachael Ray – yr probably an Enemy Of America and a terrorist.
I suppose the good news is that the FBI doesn’t base ALL of its anti-terror investigations on whether yr a Muslim. If they did, Ivins (and Hatfill before him) wouldn’t even be a suspect.
Anyway, I thought I’d just throw that out. For the record.
READ MORE ABOUT IT: Bruce Schneier explains why racial profiling doesn’t work.
It wasn’t me,
This is dF
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
READ MORE ABOUT IT: Bruce Schneier explains why racial profiling doesn’t work.
on 2008-08-07 02:02 pm (UTC)Re: READ MORE ABOUT IT: Bruce Schneier explains why racial profiling doesn’t work.
on 2008-08-07 05:56 pm (UTC)Fixed.