A picture's worth a thousand words

Yeah, it is worth a thousand words, but I'm not certain that PC is (are?) among them. As many of the commenters note, Muslim extremists are not the only terrorists in the history of the world, even recent history. While young Middle Eastern men may be a comparatively greater risk than any other demographic group right now, it would be foolish to pretend that they are the only threat. One can simultaneously believe that it's fine to pay extra attention to Arabs and Muslims while simultaneously ensuring that security pays attention to all passengers. I think most people overestimate their ability to distinguish among ehtnic groups. Do a Google image search for "Ziad Jarrah." Jarrah was the hijacker believed to have piloted the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on 9/11. Jarrah could have passed for "John Smith," or, at the very least, Italian/Greek/Latino. It's not PC, it's common sense. If it becomes clear that only swarthy stereotypically Arab-looking males are drawing enhanced scrutiny, then the terrorists will find people who don't look like that.

"Oh, and El Al has a deterrent culture built in: personal interviews with each passenger, combat training for all of the crews, and so forth. That's an approach your American flying cattle car companies with their razor-thin margins aren't going to do."

You are very likely, and probably disastrously, correct.