Air Paranoia

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Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post reported last year that since 2003, a database that stores names of "individuals that the intelligence community believes might harm the United States" has quadrupled from 100,000 to 435,000. I am sure the numbers now are much higher. If the US has these many "terrorists" or "dangerous people," then we have a real and huge problem that cannot be solved by a watch list that selectively targets people.
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"The ‘war on terror' has created a culture of fear in America," opined Zbigniew Brzezinski in a Washington Post OpEd. "Such fear-mongering, reinforced by security entrepreneurs, the mass media and the entertainment industry, generates its own momentum...The atmosphere generated by the ‘war on terror' has encouraged legal and political harassment of Arab Americans (generally loyal Americans) for conduct that has not been unique to them," he added. A case in point is the fact that an astronomical number of Americans, mainly Muslims, who are placed on the government's watch list and are subjected to unwarranted delays and detentions while traveling or crossing US borders.

While the proponents of the policy that led to the establishment of the watch list argue that it is in place to protect national security, facts indicate that it used as a tool to punish dissenters.

"I was denied a boarding pass because I was on the terrorist watch list," said Walter Murphy, a renowned constitutional scholar, a lecturer at Princeton University, and decorated Marine veteran. Why? Because "in September 2006, (he had) given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the Web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the Constitution."

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[url=http://www.counterpunch.org/akhras06022008.html]Ahmad Al-Akhras[/url]

I guess Nina Brewer-Davis should count herself lucky. At least she wasn't taken down by Taser toting RCMP agents.

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Helen [a Muslim who wears the hijab] was traveling through JFK airport security when she was flagged for further screening. She says she's gotten used to this kind of treatment. However, the usual security treatment then took a strange turn. A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employee asked to see Helen's I-Phone.

Helen tells me she was hesitant to hand over her new $400 phone, and she was unclear as to why she had turn over her private property in order to board a plane.

"He said it could be used as a weapon," she explains, shrugging. The shrugs says: So what was I supposed to do?

Helen gave the TSA employee her phone, and he proceeded to search through her list of contacts. Explaining the incident, Helen still squirms in her seat, and I can tell how violated the treatment made her feel.

The TSA employee then explained he would have to take her phone for further inspection, and that Helen could reclaim it later at the airport help desk. At this point in her story, Helen throws up her hands in exasperation.

When Helen went to reclaim her phone, the airport employees claimed they couldn't find it.

"I said, 'No, no, no. Look, I have his name! I was just here!' They looked at me like I was crazy. They said, 'Sorry, your phone isn't here.'"

This kind of story isn't uncommon. Understandably upset and furious, Helen went home to vent to her friends. To her surprise, many of her Muslim friends said they too had experienced this kind of airport theft.

"Items get stolen at the airport all the time by TSA staff," says Udi Ofer, the New York Civil Liberties Union's advocacy director.

In the United States, the Fourth Amendment protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures. But there is a big loophole, Ofer explains, "On the issue of the Fourth Amendment, the biggest obstacle is that the courts have held that, by voluntarily flying, passengers waive their rights."

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[url=http://www.counterpunch.org/kilkenny10242008.html]Allison Kilkenny[/url]

[url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/opinion/story.html?id=1c0072fe-... the Paranoid Skies[/url]

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When the pilot on my Ottawa-bound United flight from Chicago last Tuesday came on the intercom to report a problem, I felt a trickle of panic, even though he assured us that there was no cause for alarm. They had discovered, he said awkwardly, an object on the plane that should not be there. He had notified the authorities at Ottawa airport, and they would handle the problem upon our arrival.

A few nervous minutes later, at around 4 p.m., we landed and taxied to a desolate spot far from the terminal. I and my fellow passengers (close to 50 of us) expected to see emergency vehicles waiting and a crew of people to rush us off the plane before this "object" exploded. No such luck. We were greeted by an eerie silence, a silence that lasted almost 40 minutes until a bus finally pulled up near our plane.

Perplexed and confused, we were ordered to disembark and told that we could bring nothing with us, not even our passports. (Apparently this order was a mistake because we were expected later to have our identifying documents with us.) Grim-faced police officers with guns stared at us with accusing glances as we staggered down the steps. I felt the impulse to put my hands up. What had we done wrong? Were we suspected of terrorism?

We were transported to a large garage, filled with armed police, on the airport complex and told that we had a long wait ahead of us. This turned out to be true. It would be four hours from our arrival at Ottawa before we were finally released....

[url=http://www.infocusnews.net/content/view/16890/135/]American Muslims required to pass political correctness tests on returning home[/url]

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In a post-9/11 world, returning from an overseas trip could mean a serious ordeal at the port of entry for many American Arab and Muslim travelers, especially those returning from the Middle East or a Muslim country.

Many recount harrowing experiences of unfair treatment, rude behavior, unnecessary and humiliating interrogations, unprofessional conduct by DHS officials and long detentions for little or no reasonable cause. For many, the striking similarities between their stories and the frequency of occurrence point to one inevitable conclusion: profiling.
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Fazaga said he experiences similar treatment with regards to the questioning. He said he is asked questions such as, “What do you think of Bukhari (a ninth century Muslim scholar of Hadith)? How come you are not dressed as an imam? What are your thoughts on the Shia? What are your feelings on jihad?”

I miss your posting M. Spector.  I've learned much from your posts even if I can't engage with most of it.

[url=http://www.irontontribune.com/articles/2006/08/19/news/news180.txt]Woman caught smuggling deadly dihydrogen monoxide onto plane[/url]

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Flights in and out of Tri-State Airport are back to normal today, one day after a Pakistani woman was suspected of having possible explosives in her carry-on items.

The liquids in question were apparently not explosives, but precautions were taken anyway and the woman was released without charges....

When the containers were sent through an electronic device known as a sniffer, two plastic containers tested positive for suspicious chemicals.

“I didn't see one of the liquids; one of the bottles looked like it might have been a water bottle,” [airport manager] Salyers said.

A K-9 unit was brought in and the dog also detected a suspicious chemical. West Virginia National Guard and West Virginia State Police explosives teams were notified and the two containers were isolated and taken by a robot to a remote location of the airport for final determination as to what the identity of chemical residue.

The woman was later taken by F.B.I. agents from the airport to another location for continued interrogation.

“The woman didn't act suspicious; she acted calmly,” Salyers said. “She had an immediate reason as to why such material might be on the outside of what she was carrying.”

The airport was evacuated at approximately noon and all flights suspended.

About 50 passengers were affected by the flight delays. Salyers said it was the first time in the history of the airport that flights had been delayed because of suspected explosives at that airport.....

The investigation eventually involved a number of emergency services and law enforcement agencies, among them, the state police, airport police, the national guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
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The woman's mother told the Associated Press that her daughter, who is four months pregnant and lives in Barboursville, W.Va., was targeted because of her nationality and Islamic headcover.

“It was not only a false alarm, it was racial discrimination because there was nothing,” Mian Qayyum said, refusing to name her daughter.

“She just had water to drink because she is pregnant and she had a face wash that had a drop of bleach on it,” Qayyum said from her home in Jackson.

Paranoia or perceived threat? Which is it?

 

Britain and US shut embassies in Yemen after al-Qaida threats

Embassies in Sana'a closed due to 'ongoing threats' as US citizens in Yemen urged to be vigilant

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/03/us-shuts-yemen-embassy

Top Obama counter-terrorism official cites human error in airliner attack
John O. Brennan denies that infighting in the intelligence community is at fault and says there is no 'smoking gun' that would have pointed to the attempted Christmas Day bombing.

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-brennan-terror4-2010jan04,0,5478759.story

NorthReport wrote:

 

Northwest Flight 253: Mounting Evidence of U.S. Complicity in Terrorism

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16769

WHERE THE STORY IS GOING

We keep going back to 2007.  Why were these terrorists released to Saudi custody?  Why did Saudi Arabia release them soon thereafter?  With the 2nd major terrorist front in the world being Yemen and the terrorist operation there under the control of released Bush detainees, there is reason for suspicion.

While we have all of these facts, easily verifiable, we have a much stronger case against the Bush Administration or Israel than Al Qaeda.  There is no real evidence that Al Qaeda would be operating in Yemen without American or Saudi help and even, as stated by the Government of Yemen, direct material assistance from Israel. 

Why would such a thing be done, something against all reason unless terrorism itself was part of a larger regional plan and a "war on terror" was only a ruse.

When Pakistan comes to us and says that Israel and India are involved in terrorism there and we ignore it, is it because it isn't credible or because the US government has been involved, as we seem to be involved in Yemen?

 

Sword play

[url=http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16768]"The Underwear Bomber": Crushing Freedom With Phony Arab Terrorism[/url] Shoe bombers and now knicker bombers

 

New scanners break child porn laws

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jan/04/new-scanners-child-porn-laws

Obama: 

'OUR INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FAILED TO CONNECT THE DOTS'

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/new-airline-safety-measur_n_411501.html

"'Explosive' at California Airport Found to be Honey

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100106/ts_nm/us_security_airline_bakersfield

"US Transportation Security Administration screeners turned up five Gatorade bottles of what they called a 'suspicious-looking liquid.' Swabs of the bag and bottles tested positive for the explosives TNT and TATP.

When the bottles were opened, two of the screeners smelled a strong chemical odor, complained of nausea and were rushed to a local hospital..

After the all clear was given officials said they were trying to determine why the honey tested positive for explosives and made the screeners so ill that they would need medical attention.."

The Airport Scanner Scam

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24332.htm

"The body scanner is sure to get a go-ahead because of the illustrious personages hawking them. Chief among them is Michael Chertoff who now heads the Chertoff Goup, which represents one of the leading manufacturers.."

The full body scanners and 'Israelification' airport security procedures contemplated by authorities here, being hustled by Zionist former Bush Homeland security Czar Michael Chertoff -  Watch how the Canada-Israel Security Agreement provisions assist this new stepped up surveillance/national security regime being urged upon us by this latest panty-bomber setup..

The books ban really aggravates me.  I always travel with a laptop, a book and a notebook/journal.  I have to go to the States in a few weeks, too.  Hope they straighten this out before then.  It's completely assinine.

The Backfiring of the Surveillance State - Glenn Greenwald

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 As numerous experts (such as Rep. Rush Holt) have attempted, with futility, to explain, expanding the scope of raw intelligence data collected by our national security agencies invariablyimpedes rather than bolsters efforts to detect terrorist plots.  This is true for two reasons:  (1) eliminating strict content limits on what can be surveilled (along with enforcement safeguards, such as judicial warrants) means that government agents spend substantial time scrutinizing and sorting through communications and other information that have nothing to do with terrorism; and (2) increasing the quantity of what is collected makes it more difficult to find information relevant to actual terrorism plots.

What I really don't get is why, after 8 years and hundreds of billions of dollars spent by the world's mightiest military power, that they could not have figured out Abdulmuttab's modus operandi in advance? What are they paying all these security experts to do? 

I just spent some time looking at driving times from BC to Ontario because with these new measure I suspect the next time I tell an Air Canada agent exactly how much I like their surly attitude I will likely have a major delay.  As it turns out my Prius will get their cheaper than one ticket let alone the two tickets that my spouse and I would need.  Leaves lots over for food and a couple nights hotel on the way for about the same price.  

Given the stories I have heard from other people and my own personal experiences with Air Canada I expect them to use these new measures for intimidation of disgruntled passengers. 

Michelle wrote:

Does this include any flights that fly OVER American airspace to other countries, or just flights to the US?

 

I am going to be so daring as to suggest that when they are installed in the dozen or so largest terminals in Canada we will all be walking through them or agreeing to be strip searched.  I don't trust the bastards and I love the fact that the fucking machines will not work to detect what they are most worried about and the company that will make a fortune and whose stock prices are going through the roof has close ties to the US administration.  

Obama's America is no better than Bush's and because he is more devious and disingenuous it is far scarier.  Cartoon figures who seem to be stupid are not nearly as frightening to me as obviously intelligent people who believe in their own imperial power to decide the fate of the world  by discussing it with the American military and security industrial complex.

Timebandit wrote:

As to kropotkin's comment about Air Canada staff, it's ATSA that does the profiling, not the airline.  Don't be rude when you go through security, that's all.  I make a point of being sweet as can be already, so no skin off my nose.  Although I expect that the "suspicious behaviour" profiling will be used less discriminately than it should be.

 

 

I have already seen Air Canada try to get other authorities involved when people were disgruntled.  They will go to the nearest security supervisor and tell them this person is a problem and they should investigate them.

A few years ago when I was in a lineup that Air Canada was blaming on security while Westjet passengers were not suffering delays. (Air Canada had a baggage conveyor problem.]  I told an Air Canada supervisor and I quote;  "the problem is with Air Canada it has nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden."  The supervisor started yelling at me that I was a threat and went and got an Ottawa City cop to arrest me.  Fortunately for me I was surrounded by people who had heard my statement and when the cop asked them what I said they all agreed that I had said the above statement.  I was allowed on the plane that time but who knows in the future.  The moral of the story is that all good citizens should keep their mouths shut and never complain.

Scanning the Abdulmutallab story for More Lies

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_5441.shtml

" returning to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempt to blow up a North west airliner on Christmas day, let's scan the body of evidence for government lies, the real explosive elements..."

Did Abdulmutallab Board Flight 253 Without a Passport?

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16856

NorthReport wrote:

How about a bit of a reality check - he is suspected of trying to blow up a plane with at least one Canadian on bord. Maybe you think he should be given a medal I don't.  Who gives a tinker's damn whether or not the authorities screwed up.

 

So how about "our" soldiers who sit in North America and pilot drones that have killed 700 innocent Pakistanis in 2009.  Do you think they should get medals?  Do they extra points for the children?  If someone bombed your home would you want to fight back?  If someone else's home was bombed because they are like you would you get mad and fight?

So your reality check is that people in Pakistan and Yemen who are apolitical like most humans are justifiable collateral damage because some of their neighbours have the audacity to fight imperialism. 

Having Canadian troops occupying Afghanistan to protect a potential pipeline route does make me feel very insecure.  When is some pissed of Afhani whose family was murdered as collateral damage going to attack us Canadian civilians in a tit for tat since we have killed civilians there and they have not done anything to us.

They were likely Cuban suicide bombers.

Man removed from plane after security alert at Heathrow

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/08/heathrow-airport-security-scare