If a large group of terrorists deliberately and publicly assumed aliases of popular American names… They could just work down the popularity list.

Anyone amused by judging by name yet?

Ward

I flew for a vacation recently, with a stopover. I was upset at having to take off my shoes, empty my pockets, and all that. The TSA staff was all smiles. We had a layover, and more security. All smiles, and no problems. I was freaked out the entire time, worried that I would have to argue about them copying my data, inspecting my colon, etc. I am a caucasiod freaky longhair. All smiles on the way back too.

Oddly enough, we were able to smiggle four bottles of wine in our checked luggage, which arived unbroken. I was sure that at least two of ‘em would be broken. This was a domestic US flight, though.

As upset about having to deal with the airport as I was (and drunk too), there were no out of the ordinary problems from the TSA. I did have my shoes off, ticket and ID ready, and fair skin though.

I haven’t heard much from Ralph Nader, or Bob Barr on this, but if any Green or Libertarian party members out there know if there’s press releases on the TSA / No Fly list nonsense being put out (not extrapolations, things candidates have actually said) I’d appreciate hearing about it.

http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_579_Who_Is_James_K_Robinson.mp3/view

Frankly, I’ve only seen Americans bend over backwards when they meet Muslims to demonstrate that they are not prejudiced.

I guess they don’t make any promises about it, even during election time, because they have no intention of changing anything.

I only know someone is a Muslim if they tell me, and I don’t ask unless it is a discussion about religion or something. Do the Muslims where you live have to wear special patches on their clothes or something?

@14 Takuan
no no Frank (@#6), Michael Chertoff is NOT an idiot. Kip Hawley is an idiot, Michael Chertoff is a dangerous, fascist monster. Remember that when you see his name on the extermination edicts.

I was wrong, you are right, I stand corrected.

I can’t stand Michael Jerkoff and he is dangerous.

#4 “muslim” is a race?

#15 The cost of this is greater than the cost of health care? Not even close and what are corporations doing about that? Get real.

#16 I wouldn’t be surprised that you are making this up either. In fact I know that you are.

#17 Are there non-Muslim terrorists that we should be worried about?

#19 You are allowed to carry wine in checked luggage. You smuggled nothing but your imagination. Is this the first time you ever flew before?

Start a letter writing campaign and sign the letters with the names of the spouses of every US senator, representative and well connected (rich) person in the country. Wait for the TSA to add them then wait for the resulting backlash when Michelle Obama has to go triple security and misses her flight for the fifth time.

I doubt you didn’t think of this–more likely you’re just eliding it for your argument–but, ah, ask Oklahoma City what religion their most recent terrorist was.

Past performance is no indicator of future practice, if I may paraphrase–and that goes for Christian Americans who blow shit up as well as Saudi citizens who hijack planes. If you take a group’s past actions to dictate your worry, please also profile white Christian male American former military, buying fertilizer. Apologies if you already do worry about this group and I have misunderstood you!

There’s between 1 billion to 1.8 billion people who practice Islam. Putting people on a list merely because they are Muslim isn’t very practical. It’s like putting every white teenage male on a list because a couple of them caused injury and death in high schools.

“Why haven’t the larger travel dependent corporations, and the corporations that depend on them, demanded solutions?” Don’t they all have private jets?

For Mikelotus @27
#1 presumption of innocence is built into our constitution.

#16 , Poster is correct you are batty.

#19 If he carried over one L of wine (and not declare) he did smuggle, have you ever flown?

Consulting your copy of the Bill of Rights you might find the 4th amendment:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Currently TSAs search people randomly, with no probable cause, or put your name on these lists with no due process of law. Your laptop can be confiscated and all contents copied, without your say so or even notification. Is that unconstitutional enough for you? Ok, then let’s look at the 1st Amendment:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Profiling someone based on their religion and reserving special treatment for them violates the first amendment, dude, which is why they won’t admit to how these lists are compiled. Also, the keeping of these lists in secrecy violates your right to address your accuser, (if they are not accusing you of anything, why have the lists?) and they also restrict your right to travel, and in the pilot’s case, even keep his job. Remember life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

I could go on and on. Civil suits are the arena where unconstitutional laws hopefully get struck down, but only after the rights of the citizenry have been abused and the cases wind their way through the courts. Thankfully, there is the ACLU to take up such cases.

Here is a related bulletin posted today by the ACLU: http://www.aclu.org/privacy/gen/36491prs20080820.html

It sickens me how America is treating it’s muslim citizens. Don’t they realize that the way to stop terrorists is to show them that there is an alternative, a place where everyone is accepted regardless of race and where people don’t discriminate.

I have many muslim friends, they are some of the greatest people I know. It makes me ill to think about what they have to go through because of their religion.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is an idiot.

The nonsense du jour coming out of his mouth about the airlines is no different than fixing blame on the victim. Story after story about the fucked up Department of Homeland Security give me no confidence in their ability to provide any level of security.

Cases like this help shine a light on the madness.

True, there are many places in Europe where muslims are treated badly, but very few places where it’s as bad as in America. And even if it were so, that doesn’t mean that it’s suddenly ok for Americans to treat muslims this way. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

“Frankly, I’ve only seen Americans bend over backwards when they meet Muslims to demonstrate that they are not prejudiced.”

Yeah, that’s not true.

#28: s/race/religion/ I only used it in the sense of “we shouldn’t discriminate based on…” and it’s incredibly nit-picky to point that out. You know what I meant.

#37: You’re probably right, but it’s the same thing really. Intolerance is intolerance. Racial profiling should have died with the poll tax.

Interestingly, my name is an anagram for “Hark, cereal ladle!”

But more ominously, it can also make “Cradle Allah reek.”

No doubt TSA has me on their no-fly list since the letters of my name can form “Allah”–like I need another reason to hate flying on commercial airlines.