Friday, July 30, 2004

Census Bureau is tracking Arab-Americans

Information about where the largest numbers of Arab-Americans reside in the U.S. is being provided to the Department of Homeland Security by the Census Bureau.

...Hermann Habermann, deputy director of the Census Bureau, told the New York Times: “We are required to provide information to other federal agencies. This is not a cabal calculating secret tabulations.”

He added: “We do worry about how information will be used. However, we have not been given the authority to determine which organisation gets which information.”

Four years ago the Census Bureau apologised for allowing its data to be used in the round-up of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War.

Herr Habermann iss only doing vhat he iss tolt.

Apology. That's just swell. I guess they can always apologize to the Arab-Americans one day in the future.

Customs and Border Protection, part of the Department of Homeland Security, said the information was needed so officials would know which national airports would need to display signs in Arabic as well as English.

Uh-huh, sure. And we've only had Arab-American communities since when? Suddenly it's important to have signs at airports that they can read in their native language.

“The information is not in any way being used for law enforcement purposes,” said a spokeswoman. “It’s being used to educate the traveller.”

Riiiight. Spokeswhore I think is a better term.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

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