Would stuff like this happen in a truely free country?
A buddy of mine mailed me this story, and I can’t really improve on what he had to say about it… Basically, if you happen to have the same first and last name as someone who’s on the secret “suspected terrorist but we have no proof” list, you get harrassed at every airport you go to. And you can’t get removed from the list, and you can’t complain about it to anyone, ’cause no one will admit to creating the list. Anybody else feel funny about this?
May 16th, 2003 at 7:31 pm
The “Dead Beat Dad” program in California has the same problem with names. In some cases, men have become so entangled by the legal system they are forced to pay the child support for someone else with the same name the government can’t be bothered to find.
When an issue is emotionalized, the public demands the illusion of activity not accurate results. The public sees people at the airports being stopped, stripped and searched and feels safe. The fact that the people being stopped, stripped and searched are not terrorists has no logical traction in an emotional argument.
The public is clamoring for government solutions. These problems are part and parcel of government solutions.
The “no-fly” list isn’t really a “terrorist watch” list. It’s more a list of anyone who has upset an airport security screener or a flight attendant.