Caution and Restraint?

James Fallows has it right. There is an important difference between ERRING ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION, as the FBI spokesman said, and discriminatory harassment. Fallows was describing the story of Shoshana Hebshi, who was handcuffed and taken off a plane on 9/11 for being half-Arab and half-Jewish, and being seated next to two Indian men on a flight from Denver to Detroit. Read the story and you'll agree with Fallows, that the FBI showed painfully little caution or restraint.

Yes, she was released. Yes, this is a far cry from totalitarianism, as Hannah Arendt understood it. And yes, we need to take threats seriously. But it is also important to be aware that in the name of caution, we are empowering people to abuse their authority. Just ask Brandon Mayfield.