Discrimination & Money Made

I am the first to say that the antidiscrimination laws in the United States are a good thing. But I have to wonder - although I'm past just "I'm wondering" at this point and have now reached "I know" - that the antidiscrimination laws are a good thing that has gone too far or gotten out of hand.

When did I begin living in a facist country?

I find that people are more than just finding things discriminatory, but now are reaping the rewards of it. To wit:

(From Yahoo! News)

'NEW YORK (AFP) – An airline passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script has been awarded 240,000 dollars in compensation, campaigners said Monday.

Raed Jarrar received the pay out on Friday from two US Transportation Security Authority officials and from JetBlue Airways following the August 2006 incident at New York's JFK Airport, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced. "The outcome of this case is a victory for free speech and a blow to the discriminatory practice of racial profiling," said Aden Fine, a lawyer with ACLU.

Jarrar, a US resident, was apprehended as he waited to board a JetBlue flight from New York to Oakland, California, and told to remove his shirt, which had written on it in Arabic: "We will not be silent." He was told other passengers felt uncomfortable because an Arabic-inscribed T-shirt in an airport was like "wearing a T-shirt at a bank stating, I am a robber,'" the ACLU said.

Jarrar eventually agreed to cover his shirt with another provided by JetBlue. He was allowed aboard but his seat was changed from the front to the back of the aircraft. Last week, nine Muslims, including three children, were ordered off a domestic US flight after passengers heard what they believed were suspicious remarks about security. Although the passengers, eight of them US citizens, were cleared by the FBI, they were reportedly still barred from the AirTran flight.

Security has been at a high level in US airports since the September 11, 2001 hijacked airliner attacks against the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. However, rights groups and representatives of the Muslim community say the security measures have led to frequent discrimination and harassment.'

Did JetBlue make an egregious mistake in asking Mr. Jarrar to put on another tee shirt? Yes. Freedom of speech is a very big right in this country, and I would not want JetBlue or any airline forcing me to put on another shirt because they aren't particularly warm and fuzzy over my printed views.

Did JetBlue really have a truly monumentally stupid moment when they put him on the "back of the bus"? Oh, yes, that was a lulu of a boo boo. That was the worst mistake - blunder - for anyone to make! Rosa Parks a-ringin' any bells? You betcha!

Did Mr. Jarrar deserve $240,000 for having his feelings hurt? No. A free ticket and some very fawning apologies were in order (no farther than, say, California), but something that would take me a couple of years to earn? No.

And then there is that little ugly thought that rears up in mind that has dealt with discrimination: did Mr. Jarrar maybe have something like this in mind when he got dressed to travel? A little friendly advise: beliefs are a beautiful thing but deliberately pissing off or making nervous small agencies such as airline security or Homeland Security is just plain and simple STUPIDITY. People are predictable in their fears.