Now I know what it must be like to be "profiled", whether racial or not.

[Dover]

It seems that the trend in this country is that one is guilty until proven innocent.
I've heard that a lot lately on the news as many in Europe respond to the 'public hanging'
of France's Strauss-Kahn prior to being condemned by law. We know they're right in that assessment. It happens all the time in this country - accusations fly like chum thrown in the ocean for a feeding frenzy. Of course we're not the only country with an appetite for being quick on the draw (ask questions later), but in my travels abroad I have only gotten a taste of that treatment once in Italy when I mistakenly wandered off the tourist path and decided to try some truly local cuisine. The restaurant, its owner and patrons turned out to be American-hating Marxists and they had their own shark attack with me as the chum. It left a big emotional scar on me that took a long time to heal. So what is OUR excuse here in the good ole USA? I suppose many
who have experienced ethnic profiling know what that's like all too well.
And isn't that just a continuation of racial or other prejudices that have been been part of the dark underbelly we try so hard to hide or ignore until it erupts in a civil rights, gay rights, women's suffrage, or class struggle movements? Has it really changed? Do we just require an underdog so we can feel better about ourselves?

But today I found myself experiencing some of the same feelings I did all those years ago back in Italy with what is becoming a new type of profiling...by corporations. I was in an Apple computer store picking out a new computer. The sales people were just great as usual and spent a full hour with me helping me decide on what to get, looking into all the options. But come time to check out with my new computer I realized I didn't have my debit card with me (I've long since stopped using credit cards). But I did have my checkbook and so I wrote a check. It was declined. Huh?
I knew with certainty how much was in my account and it was more than enough, but I called my bank as I stood there in line to find out what the problem was. They couldn't find a problem and didn't know why my check was rejected. They said the problem was not on their end and that perhaps Apple used a security company that had found fault with my check for some unknown reason. So I had the clerk call this company to find out why they had declined me and according to their criteria I was "a risk". What criteria was that I asked? They basically said that my purchase was a large item and that my check history showed that I normally wrote smaller checks. I told them I had just spoken with my bank who confirmed I could easily cover the purchase. And that if they knew my check writing history then they probably knew that in fact I HAD written a much larger than normal check for something else just a couple of weeks ago. Yes, they said, but that was not written to one of their venders, and because they were not affiliated or connected to any of the banks they couldn't verify that I had money in my account. WHAT? How could they even make a decision like this without knowing whether or not I could pay by contacting the bank?
They repeated that they had their own criteria which did NOT include contact with the person's bank.
So essentially, I said, I have not done anything criminal, nor am I on any list of persons who writes bad checks, but I am PRESUMED a risk to this store based on their own little formula that has nothing to do with the reality of who I am and what is in my bank account?!
A relatively small incident (not on par with GITMO type incident), but the implications when seen within the context and scale of the big picture gives me chills.

Well, needless to say Apple lost a big sale that day and a fan. If they are content to use that kind of "profiling" security company then I'm not playing. This does seem to be the way things are trending in this country, with a million little cuts. And all so we can have better "SECURITY"?
If one was even to believe that this is somehow meant to be in our best interest, it's far too high a price to pay. But in truth I think with each step in this direction we become more and more a fascist entity. Even as we applaud the rebellions around the globe of those seeking to free themselves from that kind of abuse of power, we continue to establish more and more big brother
environment at home.

When I heard Obama's recent speech about the tyranny endured in the Middle East that led to the rebellions, I couldn't help but wonder if this description has not begun to look an awful lot like
the "new normal" we now call America and if we may find ourselves in a similar battle, this time with the true powers that be...corporate rule -


From his speech:

On Dec. 17 a young vendor named Mohammed Bouazizi was devastated when a police officer confiscated his cart. This was not unique. It is the same kind of humiliation that takes place every day in many parts of the world -- the relentless tyranny of governments that deny their citizens dignity. Only this time, something different happened. After local officials refused to hear his complaint, this young man who had never been particularly active in politics went to the headquarters of the provincial government, doused himself in fuel and lit himself on fire.

Sometimes, in the course of history, the actions of ordinary citizens spark movements for change because they speak to a longing for freedom that has built up for years. In America, think of the defiance of those patriots in Boston who refused to pay taxes to a king, or the dignity of Rosa Parks as she sat courageously in her seat. So it was in Tunisia, as that vendor's act of desperation tapped into the frustration felt throughout the country. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets, then thousands. And in the face of batons and sometimes bullets, they refused to go home -- day after day, week after week, until a dictator of more than two decades finally left power.

The story of this revolution, and the ones that followed, should not have come as a surprise. The nations of the Middle East and North Africa won their independence long ago, but in too many places their people did not. In too many countries, power has been concentrated in the hands of the few. In too many countries, a citizen like that young vendor had nowhere to turn -- no honest judiciary to hear his case; no independent media to give him voice; no credible political party to represent his views; no free and fair election where he could choose his leader.

This lack of self-determination -- the chance to make of your life what you will -- has applied to the region's economy as well. Yes, some nations are blessed with wealth in oil and gas, and that has led to pockets of prosperity. But in a global economy based on knowledge and innovation, no development strategy can be based solely upon what comes out of the ground. Nor can people reach their potential when you cannot start a business without paying a bribe.

In the face of these challenges, too many leaders in the region tried to direct their people's grievances elsewhere. The West was blamed as the source of all ills, a half century after the end of colonialism. Antagonism toward Israel became the only acceptable outlet for political expression. Divisions of tribe, ethnicity and religious sect were manipulated as a means of holding on to power or taking it away from somebody else.

But the events of the past six months show us that strategies of repression and diversion won't work anymore. Satellite television and the Internet provide a window into the wider world -- a world of astonishing progress in places like India, Indonesia and Brazil. Cellphones and social networks allow young people to connect and organize like never before. A new generation has emerged. And their voices tell us that change cannot be denied.