Iron Triangle Essay

901 Words2 Pages

To understand the roots and impacts of racial profiling and the iron triangle, it is beneficial to know exactly what racial profiling and the iron triangle entails. Racial profiling is the act when any kind of law enforcement officer forms suspicious thoughts about a person due to nothing besides their race or ethnicity. Law enforcement officers often act on these suspicious thoughts due to their training. An example of racial profiling could be made of a woman named Shoshana Hebshi, who is of Jewish and Arab descent who was jerked off of a plane and heavily searched during the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Hebshi, an American citizen, was completely innocent and was only brought under suspicion due to her race. Therefore, The iron triangle consists of three groups that are equally beneficial to each other; therefore, this creates a very strong bond between them. The three groups that make up the triangle are legislature, bureaucracy and interest groups. Legislature effects bureaucracy by providing them with funding and support, and legislature effects interest groups by passing friendly laws in their favor. In return, bureaucracy effects legislature by reaping benefits for them, and bureaucracy effects interest groups by performing friendly regulations and favors for them. Lastly interest groups effect legislature by providing them with voter support, and interest groups effect bureaucracy by lobbying for them and providing them with jobs. In the example of racial profiling of the woman of Jewish and Arab descent, members from interest groups such as, The Economist, questioned both legislature and bureaucracy for the racial profiling against this innocent woman. They questioned members of bureaucracy, for the flight attendants who started the initial suspicion and the federal agents who jerked her off of her flight and through her in a cell were both a part of bureaucracy. The Economist questioned legislature for funding such abuse. Therefore, we can sometimes see something similar to checks and balances within the iron There are probably members from every group of iron triangle that are against racial profiling, but if this is the case why does racial profiling continue to happen? Racial profiling is in fact unconstitutional, but no end is in sight of this unnecessary punishment to the minorities. The intent of racial profiling is often to keep people from being harmed. For example, Hebshi was sitting on a plane next to two other men of Indian decent on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Flight attendants aboard the plane warned federal agents that the Indian-Americans looked suspicious; therefore, the agents took Hebshi into custody to be searched and questioned. The flight attendants and the federal agents most likely were just trying to make sure that everyone on board the flight would be safe. Despite the motives in any circumstance, racial profiling is wrong. The problem with racial profiling in this case is the woman and the two men made it past extensive airport security; therefore, if they were exhibiting any suspicious behavior it would have already been dealt with by security professionals. The problem with racial profiling in every case is that it violates the natural rights of the person that is being victimized. Therefore, racial profiling should not continue to go on despite the somewhat good

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