I've done enough security work with the Military to be able to speak on the issue, as GM1 used to say "Don't waste time on the little old ladies or the hotties, look for those guys that fit the profile.
Yes, this is correct with the military when you have a SPECIFIC thread or in law enforcement when you have a SPECIFIC person.
If you're looking for a 5'5" middle eastern guy with black hair, slight build, defined cheek bones, and in his 20's then you definitely profile.
If you're looking for "Guy that may cause problems", it gets a bit more difficult.
If you're looking for "Person in 'x' colors looking suspicious or hostile" in a somewhat combat zone is different than "Someone that may blow up a plane".
I can tell you with absolute certainty, at least in regards to things relating to the transportation system in this country, arrests and investigations into suspicions of terrorism or other dangerous acts have not came completely through people of middle eastern descent. White, Black, Asian have all been parts of it as well. Additionally we have people of middle eastern descent and even muslims actively patrolling our skies, I can tell you that too.
Should security perhaps give, in this current climate, a slightly keener eye upon middle eastern descent? Perhaps, it can be argued. It can be argued if your concern are "muslim extremists", at the same time that you're doing that search of a middle easterner that is a Sikh, Indian, Christian, or other such things you complete miss a black, Asian, or white muslim.
Yes, there is something to not hassling every little old lady with a stroller, but there's also been incidents of people using such things to smuggle things through security at airports. People seem to forget a prominent attempted terrorist attack on our airways after 9/11 came from a white man.
I can tell you for a definitive fact, the law enforcement agency tasked with patrolling our national transit system does not strictly profile and most certainly does go in with the mindset...man, woman, child, brown, white, muslim, christian...could potentially break the law or mean to cause a catastrophe.
I'm more considered with attacks on US targets and interests.
I'm talking about attacks on US Targets and Interests.
We have suffered numerous attacks on US targets and interests outside of our borders in the past 7 years...just as we did during the Clinton years.
We have also suffered an equal amount of attacks within our borders during both periods of time as well.