[alan]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....storyID=3333662

Readers should remember the following.

1. Government bureaucrats, those lovely folks at TSA and Dept. of Homeland Security are dragging their feet regarding the REARMING of airline pilots, yes Virginia, airline pilots used to be
armed, in accordance with of GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS.

2. Our wonderful airlines continue to screw their customers, overpay their no account executives and oversell their flights, while no doubt, selling your personal information to whomever they can, without so much as the proverbial "by your leave" to or from you.

One suspects that talking to your favorite air carrier is about as useful as whistling in the breeze, however raising hell with your elected things just might prove worth the effort, if enough of the citizenry join in the festivities.

[jimpeel]

News articles usually don't last more than a day or two before they are moved to the archive and the posted link no longer works. Worse yet, many sites charge to see the links once they are archived.

Posting the text of the article, as well as the link, is preferred if its not too long.

[alan]

Jim Peel:

Point taken. I've e-mailed www.wnd.com, asking for the text of the article. If they provide it, I will post it.

[jimpeel]

Thank you.

[alan]

jimpeel:

Text of article follows.



Critics Say U.S. Airline Screening Plan Intrusive
Mon August 25, 2003 05:41 PM ET




By Deborah Charles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Advocacy groups from across the political spectrum condemned the U.S. government's proposed air passenger screening program on Monday, calling it a "quantum leap" in surveillance that violates privacy and civil rights.

Groups as diverse as the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Conservative Union criticized the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, known as CAPPS II, which was announced in July as part of an effort to improve passenger security.

Under the plan, the government will take basic information of all potential airline passengers -- name, date of birth, address and phone number -- as they book their ticket. It will run that information through a commercial data service to confirm the passenger's identity.

The government will collect the data from airlines, on-line booking services or other reservations systems and all airlines that travel to or from the United States must participate.

The program will then search watch-lists and other national security information to determine if a passenger has any links to al Qaeda or other militant groups, or even if they are a violent criminal with a warrant out for their arrest.

Critics said the plan was using the national security threat to infringe on basic civil rights.

"This system will affect every single person who gets on an airplane in the United States," said Laura Murphy, director of the ACLU's Washington office, who called it a "quantum leap in government surveillance."

The latest accusations of government intrusion on civil rights comes as Attorney General John Ashcroft continues a monthlong, nationwide tour to defend a different, sweeping anti-terrorism law adopted after Sept. 11, 2001, which has also been criticized for violating civil rights.

"MISSION CREEP"

Some critics accused the government of "mission creep" with CAPPS II, saying what began as an effort to ensure aircraft safety and national security has been broadened too much.

David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, criticized the government for using the screening program to ferret out common criminals.

"It's clear that CAPPS II will be used for far more than the safety of air travelers," he said. "Is there evidence that somebody who has mistreated their spouse is liable ... to seize an aircraft? I don't know how these two are connected."

The Department of Homeland Security says its main goal is to prevent another Sept. 11-style hijacking attack.

"The mission of the CAPPS II system has been and always will be aviation security," the department's Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. "CAPPS II will ensure that passengers do not sit next to known terrorists and wanted murderers."

The TSA said it had reworked its original plan -- which also drew widespread criticism -- and limited the type of information to be collected and the amount of time it was to be retained. It said it was seeking comment on the latest proposals.

Bob Barr, a former Republican congressman from Georgia, said that power to screen for passengers who might have a warrant out for their arrest is one of the "many troubling aspects" of CAPPS II.

He and others were concerned about the secrecy of the "rating system" the government uses for each passenger. Since the data will be classified as secret a passenger rated as a possible terrorist threat may never find out why or be able to correct a possible error in identification.

[jimpeel]

My last name is Peel so it is of high liklihood that I am an agent bent on the recapture of America into the British Empire.

Pip, pip, Cheerio; and all that old chum.

This system will be abused just like all of the other systems have been abused. Those were touted as "That could never happen with the checks and balances we have installed into the system."

Of course that was before the checks and balances were eliminated through subsequent legislation/regulation.

Nothing that government does is for naught. They have a wider, long-term plan for everything they do. Does this sound at all familiar in your state:

They institute a seatbelt law. The law is touted as only a "secondary" law that you will not be stopped for. They said "The only way you will be cited for a seatbelt violation is if you are stopped for another violation. You can drive by the police station with them hanging out the door and you will not be cited for not wearing your seatbelt."

This was all true -- until they passed subsequent legislation making seatbelt violations a "primary violation". After everyone got comfortable with the "secondary" violation, they changed it. Does anyone here think that this was not their intent when they passed the original legislation?

This is what they did when I lived in Califoirnia.

This is what they did when I lived in Colorado.

This is what they did when I lived in Massachusetts.

This is what they will do in your state if they haven't done it already. When it comes to your state, fight it vigorously but fruitlessly. The marching orders are preordained.

Now; apply this thinking to the article cited above.

[alan]

jimpeel:

I had thought that I was an "evil, suspicious minded guy", one who took a dim view of things, possibly due to the little bit of Russian blood in me.

Old saying about Russians, and their outlook on things. If a "dark side" is not immediately apparent, then your Russian will go down to the local hardware strore, and buy a can of black spray paint, with which he creates the missing "dark side".

Mind, I'm not really questioning your take on things, I agree with you, especially re long range goals, and ultimate intentions, government in genereal, is not really worthy of very much, if any trust.

The remaining question is, what to do, if one accepts that peaceful petitioning of government is, or has gotten to be, a large waste of time and effort, an exercise in futility?

[jimpeel]

The remaining question is, what to do, if one accepts that peaceful petitioning of government is, or has gotten to be, a large waste of time and effort, an exercise in futility?There is still time. there is still hope. Eventually there will be enough Libertarians that will climb the political ladder to get to p[ositions of power and then the turnaround will come. Let's just hope the ladder is shorter than the patience of the American people.

[4570Rick]

Let's just hope the ladder is shorter than the patience of the American people.

Patience or attention span?:(