Here is one of those edicts that is specifically designed for all us whiners who've been wondering what happened to the compassion in this conservative.

President Bush issued guidelines today barring federal agents from using race or ethnicity in their routine investigations, but the policy carves out clear exemptions for investigations involving terrorism and national security matters.

The new policy, representing the first time that the federal government has imposed across the board guidelines on racial profiling, governs the conduct of 70 federal law enforcement agencies. A narcotics agent, for instance, cannot focus on a specific neighborhood simply because of its racial makeup, the policy states

Here's how it breaks down.

Racial Profiling Not Allowed
The authorities cannot conduct more traffic stops and other aggressive tactics to increase the number of drug arrests in a neighborhood, based on its racial composition. Unless there is "pertinent" data like 911 calls or arrest trends, "this effort would be improper because it is based on generalized stereotypes."

BUT...

Racial Information Allowed

The authorities receive an "all points bulletin" giving the race, hair color, age range and color of the car being driven by a fleeing bank robber. Officers may use the race to decide which drivers to pull over.

Officials receive information indicating that terrorists of a particular ethnicity plan to hijack a plane in California in the next week. Transportation officials may subject men of that ethnicity boarding planes in California to "heightened scrutiny."

Let's read that again."The authorities receive an "all points bulletin" giving the race, hair color, age range and color of the car being driven by a fleeing bank robber. Officers may use the race to decide which drivers to pull over."

Now let's say the person was in question was described as a long-haired Hispanic male in his thirties driving a 1992 Red Cheverolet Cavalier. By that reasoning you can be pulling over anybody who looks Hispanic, male or female, old or young, driving whatever kind of car, and still claim that you are not racial profiling

"So long as they are not motivated by racial animus," the authorities can use that information to increase law enforcement operations in the area.

Sigh.