Airport Gestapo: How Bush's No Fly List is Making Americans Unsafe

[Better Believe It]

July 17, 2008

How Bush's No Fly List is Making Americans Unsafe
Airport Gestapo
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review.


The Bush Regime’s “terrorist” protection schemes have reached the height of total incompetence and utter absurdity. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, a private organization that defends the US Constitution that inattentive Americans neglect, there are now one million names on the “terrorist” watch list.

How can there possibly be 1,000,000 terrorists and America still be in one piece? If there were 1,000,000 terrorists, America would be in ruins. According to the Bush Regime’s line, it only took a handful of terrorists to destroy America’s tallest skyscrapers and a section of the Pentagon and to send the President of the United States scurrying to a hiding place.

Show your ID.
Take off your shoes.

Take off your belt.
Take off your jacket.

Empty your pockets.

Don’t complain about being searched without a warrant or you will miss your flight. You might be arrested, handcuffed, kicked and otherwise abused--the fate of many American citizens.

It is worse than that. What the “watch list” or “no-fly list” is doing is training Americans to submit to warrantless searches, to abandon their constitutional rights, and to submit to humiliation by thugs and bullies. A Gestapo is being trained to have no qualms about searching and intimidating fellow citizens, using any excuse to delay or arrest them. Americans are being taught to use arbitrary power and to submit to arbitrary power. In the false name of “safety from terrorists,” Americans are being made the least safe people on earth.

Please read the entire article at:
http://www.counterpunch.org/

[napi21]

1. 1,000,000 names is completely unmanageable! My guess is people are playing

a lot of CYA! If you aren't absolutely POSITIVE that someone's name isn't similar to another on the list, traveled to a "questionable location", attended a protest somewhere, etc., then put the name on the list. That way you can neber be accused of being too laz on TERROR!

My biggest complaint is that once your name is on that stupid list, you have NO mechanism to get it removed! I remember when Ted Kennedy was told he couldn't board the flight out of DC to fly home because HIS name was on the list! He said HE knew enough of the right contacts to get that mess resolved, but what about the regular innocent passanger? I wonder if they ever took HIS name off?

[kestrel91316]

4. Here's the deal: If the name John Doe is on the list, regardless of WHICH

John Doe it is, every single John Doe in America will be treated like they are a criminal. So if there are a million names on the list, there are a hell of a lot more than a million Americans impacted because many share the same name.

We are ALL enemies of the state.

[DCKit]

15. Isn't that how they did the voter purge in FL? Sure worked there. n/t

[azmouse]

2. I wonder how many people aren't flying any more because of this?

I know I'm one of them. I've only flown once since the attacks in 2001.

[kestrel91316]

5. How many want to but can't????

If John Doe is a legitimate terrorist under surveillance and my name is also John Doe and I try to fly, it's not gonna happen. Period. If your "name" (as opposed to you, the person) is on the list, you are out of luck.

[hootinholler]

10. Me too and I was searched on every leg of the trip.

Haven't flown since.

-Hoot

[Cobalt-60]

16. I'm off commercial airlines forever

The last time I took a commercial flight was in 01, TWA St Louis to Denver.
On the return leg I was bumped to first class.
I'd like to remember the airlines and airports as they were.
The only way I'll get into the air again is if I or someone I know and trust
is flying a private aircraft.
Or a Jet Pack. Little jet engines have come a long way.

[hedgehog]

3. Even if there is an actual terrorist somewhere on the list, how

would anyone know? Placing 1 million names on the list must constitute the world record for crying wolf!

[dragonlady]

8. Where's Waldo? n/t

[Truth4Justice]

6. Welcome to the American Police State, comrade.

[bdamomma]

7. we are all suspects, but why???

do we pose a threat to this administration, or is this administration cowards?

[JohnyCanuck]

9. They are just using this bogus list as a step to acclimatize the sheep

to life in a police state. (IMHO)

[ThatsMyBarack]

11. I miss the olden days....

When flying was FUN! :(

[indepat]

12. Had to fly home from LAX early due to death in family. The TSA person said my papers were not in

order (my words), that my home-state drivers license did not meet California law and it looked liked we were going no where. I was about to say 'Honey, guess we can't make it to mom's funeral because I surely couldn't rent a car and get there in time.' But before I could muster courage to speak, the TSA person, in one of the politest and most noble gestures imaginable under the circumstances, said "I'll wave it this time." That incident gave me greater insight into just how much power these low-level TSA agents have to jack even elderly American citizens around on the flimsiest technical excuse and, in this case, any reasonable person would have concluded from the git-go that my papers were indeed in order. :D

[JohnyCanuck]

13. "A Gestapo is being trained"

From the concluding paragraph of the Robert's article:

.... What the “watch list” or “no-fly list” is doing is training Americans to submit to warrantless searches, to abandon their constitutional rights, and to submit to humiliation by thugs and bullies. A Gestapo is being trained to have no qualms about searching and intimidating fellow citizens, using any excuse to delay or arrest them. Americans are being taught to use arbitrary power and to submit to arbitrary power. (my emphasis /JC). In the false name of “safety from terrorists,” Americans are being made the least safe people on earth.

[malaise]

14. Sadly lots of people feel this is for our own good

I hate traveling now. I detest strangers pawing me all over.

[DFW]

17. On Jan. 21, 2009

The first thing President Obama should do is to order the TSA to put the names
of Chertoff, Cheney, all members of the Bush and Cheney families and the entire
roster of Senate and House Republicans on the no-fly list, and remove ALL other
names. Leave them on for a year. Maybe they'll get it then.

Here in Germany, I have experienced exactly one case of a guy at the security check
(no such thing as a no-fly list here) acting like he was enjoying wielding his power.
I also noticed he was gone from his post after about 3 weeks (I fly a LOT over here).