Worm: as I said, I've been screened and interrogated before, as have other blond, white friends of mine. And I look like the Aryan ideal, and about as threatening as a teddy bear. I'm not denying there may be some disposition towards screening Muslims, but there is a good deal of randomness.
Santhosh: I think we're talking on two different levels here. You're talking about privileges and handouts, and I'm talking about rights and human dignity.
Should that lazy bum get government handouts when he can get a job? Well, everyone is different, and everyone has his own reasons, but: probably not. He can go find work.
Should that lazy bum be entitled to the same rights, the same legal representation, the same benefit of the doubt, the same due process as a billionaire? Yes. Absolutely.
I'm not stupid, I know the USA has hardly met that ideal, but the difference is that ideal is recognized and slowly being worked towards. The US strives to be a more perfect union, and while it often fails (and IMO, sometimes regresses), over the course of the past 230 years it's advanced towards that: abolition of slavery in 1863 (and 1865 from congress), equal rights for women in 1920, abolition of institutionalized racism in the 1960s, etc. Same for other western democracies, I certainly don't think the US is unique in this.
As far as caste:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=26966
Denying people basic supplies because of their caste? No food, no water, no medicine? I know you're against handouts, but surely in the time of a disaster like the Tsunami was, you can ease up just a little? You can't tell me that the caste system no longer exists, and still maintain your "some people deserve more than others" mentality. It's simply not compatible, and it's just a new caste system, even if it's the reverse of the old one. (where you have the BC and untouchables as the highest)
In fact, as the article shows, it's generally the job of European and American missionaries/aid workers to feed/clothe/care for the poor in India because the upper castes simply refuse to be anywhere near them. And you can't claim that mass poverty and starvation are not severe problems India is facing.
Also, saw your comment towards dosraider and wanted to remind you not to take this debate personally. No one here is trying to insult you, just argue with your ideas.