Nobody balks when stores want to see a drivers license when you make a return even if the purchase was made with cash. But, God forbid if someone looks suspicious and in the interest of safety and security against terrorism a cop should ask for someone's ID and all hell breaks loose about people's rights being violated. Baloney! Racial profiling should be an accepted practice in this country. It's all about safety and security. Have a bomb go off or some other terrorist activity and people want to know where the cops were to prevent some unseen tragedy. This is just more of the same unfounded complaints illegal immigrants have about having to provide proof of citizenship.

I vehemently disagree with this perspective. The article is NOT saying the TSA agents in question were intently focused on stopping terrorists per se. Rather, it alleges those agents were focusing on nonwhites -- whether they appeared to be terrorists or not -- in hopes of generating good numbers for a program. That's a VERY different goal! That's the point the "good" TSA agents in the piece are effectively making; that's why they're complaining. [NEW PARAGRAPH] If the allegations in this article are correct, TSA-Boston has a "rogue" element working in its ranks. The article implicitly raises questions about how TSA staff are screened and trained, as well as how TSA sets metrics for evaluation of programs. Frankly, I hope Homeland Security and Justice thoroughly look at TSA-Boston.