Blogs > Liberty and Power > Come Fly With Me, But Not If You Are On The List

Apr 12, 2005

Come Fly With Me, But Not If You Are On The List




John R. Lott Jr. and Sonya D. Jones had an excellent column in yesterday’s Washington Times about the furor over the fact that some people on terrorist “watch lists” were able to legally buy guns. They described hearings on renewing the Patriot Act during which two Democratic Senators called for action. The piece told us, “Messrs. Kennedy and Schumer's proposed solution? Simply ban the sale of guns to people law enforcement places on the watch list.”

The authors also pointed out that, “Ironically, the same Mr. Kennedy who wants to rely on"watch lists" was understandably upset last year and publicly complained to the Senate Judiciary committee when he was prevented from flying on an airplane because his name was placed on just such a"watch list." Rules did not allow him to be told at the airport why he was being denied a ticket, but fortunately for him being a U.S. senator meant the problem was eventually resolved with a few telephone calls.”

This OP-ED is raising two very important and disturbing questions. If a United States Senator can be put on a terrorist “watch list”, what then is the criteria for being put on such a list? And, what oversight is there to see that said criteria is followed? If there is a person who lives next door to someone in “law enforcement” and they have a dog who barks too much, does that mean they are going to get stuck at the airport?

I happen to agree with the late and hateful Timothy McVeigh that something profoundly wrong happened back when those people were incinerated at Waco, Texas and that certain people in government, who were not, needed to be held accountable for their conduct during the proceedings surrounding the siege. Even though I consider Bill Clinton’s presidency a fairly successful one, mainly because he really did not do very much, I will also always deem him pond scum because not only did he fail to punish those working for his administration who during the events of Waco committed truly evil acts but he later rewarded them. Does this opinion make me a terrorist?

A few years ago, I spent a lovely spring morning, near Easter, with Carol Moore setting up symbolic graves representing the people attacked and killed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, for organizational propaganda purposes, at Waco. This occurred on the White House Ellipse in front of tens of thousands of people waiting for hours in line to get a cheesy plastic egg and cheap paper bunny ears from their beloved government. There was what I believed to be an FBI agent in the crowd whose absolutely brilliant disguise consisted of a Hard Rock Café jeans jacket and sunglasses. He took about a million photographs of our small group. Because of that day do I now no longer have the right to own a gun or fly on an airplane? I really don’t know because I have not tried to do either in quite some time. If it is the case that my name is on a “watch list“ will I be able to fix it with a few quick phone calls like the senator did?

Literally millions of people have seen and been moved by the award winning film Waco: The Rules of Engagement. Lately it has been playing somewhat often on cable TV. Many of you reading this have probably viewed the movie, does that make you candidates for the administration’s lists?



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Kevin Carson - 4/14/2005

I wouldn't even try to get on a passenger airliner since 9-11. I've got a membership card from the Wobblies, and I'd bet two weeks' pay that's enough to get me on the no-fly list. Also probably enough to get me a sore rectum and nightmare flashbacks for six months.

When the same system is fully extended to trains and buses, which it will, and the state troopers start stepping up their random roadblocks, we'll have a de facto internal passport system in this country.

Why didn't we just stick with King George III and save ourselves all this trouble?


Sudha Shenoy - 4/13/2005

The real point in all this is that a few phone calls got the Senator through the restrictions. Thus the politically powerful escape -- only the humble get caught. It re-emphasises the power of the powerful - & the helplessness of the powerless. The powerful don't suffer -- so why should they bother? This is exactly the situation in (for example) all the LDCs.


Jonathan Dresner - 4/12/2005

It's fixed. The system is a bit overliteral sometimes.... as computers are wont to be.

Jonathan Dresner
HNN Assistant Editor


Roderick T. Long - 4/12/2005

Keith, looks liike you left out an un-bold command, thus transforming all the preceding entries into boldface. Another bug in the blogging software ....


Keith Halderman - 4/12/2005

I do not think there is any real difference.


Jason Kuznicki - 4/12/2005

How are these lists any different from being convicted without a trial?