Homeland security snakes eats own tail
(posted by Angelica)
Federal Air Marshals are getting left on the ground because their names got on the no-fly list. So now we’ll get some action on the bloated and festering problem, perhaps? As for the rest of us who are inconvenienced, serves us right for having the same names as dirty terrorists, doesn’t it.
False identifications based on a terrorist no-fly list have for years prevented some federal air marshals from boarding flights they are assigned to protect, according to officials with the agency, which is finally taking steps to address the problem.
Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) familiar with the situation say the mix-ups, in which marshals are mistaken for terrorism suspects who share the same names, have gone on for years — just as they have for thousands of members of the traveling public.
One air marshal said it has been “a major problem, where guys are denied boarding by the airline.”
With the list at 500,000 names or longer, it’s unsurprising that some air marshals have gotten caught up in the net. But hey, at least the list is catching terrorists like Nelson Mandela, so I guess it’s doing some good.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:06 pm
So, um, I’d been assuming that the names on the no-fly list were overwhelming Arab or Persian sounding. (Yes, I know a few white guys like the would-be shoe bomber Richard whatshisname was an Anglo). Can there be that many Air Marshalls with names like Achmed, Yasamin or Ali? Or that many whose names are the same as some of the actual Western, white supporters of Islamic jihad?
Just how does one get on this list, hmmm?
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:36 am
I bet all sorts of names end up on that list for all sorts of reasons, Mona, although of course people with Muslim sounding names are particularly likely to be screwed.
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:50 am
The name “Robert Johnson” is on the list.
I guess if you sell your soul to the devil at a Mississippi crossroads to become a legendary blues guitarist, you have no business getting on an airplane.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
I wonder how many on the list simply belong to radical political groups that the feds have arbitrarily classified as “terrorist.” They’ve stopped Green Party leaders and antiwar activists (including a Quaker grandmother). I’ve got a red card from the Wobblies, and I’ve always just assumed air travel is out of the question for me.