Personal Freedoms vs. Airline Safety
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| Thu, 02-11-2010 - 8:41am |
Following so closely on the heels of the Christmas Day terrorist attempt, the young man in the next story should be more realistic about why he was detained and scrutinized. I think the screeners had every right to question him, and while he may have had a completely legitimate reason for his situation, he should understand that airline passengers have a responsibility to be an innocuous as possible while traveling.
Why travel with this kinds of things? Or why not put them in your checked luggage? If you WANT to attract attention, why then be surprised and angry when you get it?
Passenger who had Arabic flash cards sues over his detainment
February 10, 2010 10:13 p.m. EST




Nicholas George, 22, a senior at Pomona College in California, filed suit in federal court Wednesday against the Transportation Security Administration, the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI. He says he was handcuffed and "abusively interrogated" by authorities at Philadelphia International Airport.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, alleges officials violated George's Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable seizure and First Amendment rights to free speech.
"Nick doesn't object and we don't object to the fact that he was searched closely, that his belongings were scrutinized," ACLU attorney Ben Wizner told CNN. "But once that's done, there's absolutely no justification for handcuffing him and locking him in a cell for several hours."
All three agencies named in the suit declined to comment. But one official, who could not speak on the record about matters involving pending litigation, said security agents focused on George because of "erratic" behavior before he reached the checkpoint.
George, of Wyncote, Pennsylvania, said he is studying Arabic because of his interest in Middle East politics. He plans to take a foreign service exam later this year, he said.
He said the incident occurred August 29 after he arrived at the Philadelphia airport for a flight to California to begin his senior year at Pomona College. When he was asked to empty his pockets at the airport checkpoint, he produced a set of handmade flash cards, which piqued the interest of the TSA screener. The flash cards had an English word on one side and the corresponding Arabic word on the other.
Of the approximately 200 flash cards, about 10 had words such as "bomb," "explosion," and "terrorist," George said.
"They asked me why I had those words. I told them honestly because I had been trying to read Arabic news media, especially Al-Jazeera, and these are words that come up when you read the news about the Middle East," George said.
He said he was in the secondary screening area for about a half hour before a TSA supervisor arrived and began questioning him in a "hostile and aggressive manner."
Noting that George had a book titled "Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions," the supervisor asked him a series of questions, including "Who did 9/11?" and "Do you know what language he spoke?" The supervisor then held up the flash cards and said, "Do you see why these cards are suspicious?" George said.
He said he was then turned over to a Philadelphia police officer, who handcuffed him and placed him in an airport jail cell while officers examined his possessions. They "appeared particularly interested in the flash cards" and a student ID card issued to George during a study abroad program in Jordan.
George later was turned over to the FBI, who questioned him for about 30 minutes before freeing him.
"My attitude during all of this was -- just answer the questions fully and honestly. Don't give any lip. Don't do anything that will arouse suspicion, and they'll just pass it by because I had nothing seditious. ... I had nothing dangerous. I had nothing that would pose any threat to anyone," George told CNN.
"I'm absolutely certain that I never raised my voice. I never got smart with them," he said.
George said he is angered by his treatment.
One government official, who spoke on background because of the pending litigation, said TSA behavior detection officers observed George "exhibiting anomalous behavior" before he reached the checkpoint. The official did not elaborate.
George "was referred for additional screening, where his behavior escalated further," the official said. "As a result of a number of factors, including the passenger's erratic behavior, local law enforcement was called to the checkpoint to investigate further."
ACLU attorney Wizner called the alleged incident "an amazing abuse of authority."
"We need to really make clear that Americans don't give up their constitutional rights when they choose to fly by plane," he said. "When Nick George was handcuffed, arrested and locked in a cell for several hours just for carrying Arabic-English flash cards, that was not only illegal and unconstitutional but absolutely did nothing to make air travel any safer.
"In fact what it does is it diverts resources from the kind of real security efforts that we need more of."
One year ago, JetBlue Airways and two TSA screeners paid $240,000 to an Iraqi man to settle claims that they refused to let him aboard a flight until he had covered up his T-shirt, which read, "We Will Not be Silent" in English and Arabic.
The man, Raed Jarrar, said one screener told him, "Coming to an airport while wearing a T-shirt with Arabic letters on it was equivalent to going into a bank while wearing a shirt saying, 'I am a robber.' "
In the settlement, JetBlue and the screeners denied any wrongdoing, and said they were acting only to resolve the 2 1/2-year-old federal lawsuit.

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While I believe that TSA agents were correct in pulling him aside to begin with, I also believe that it went too far.
Oh, I agree.
My sister was a peace activist, at Cal Poly in 66. The same year as Berkeley 66. She swore she was being followed. People were telling her she was "paranoid" and "crazy." She lived out in the middle of nowhere, and started taking alternate, side roads home, and was STILL followed. Years later, she was interviewing for a teaching position, and was asked to explain her file with the FBI. HAH! She finally had acknowledgement that she wasn't out of her mind back, in her college days. Through the Freedom of Information Act, she was able to request her file. They had followed her on campus, to her job, home from work. They had photos of her, and the people she talked to, and was in study groups with. Flash forward to the Bush Admin, and she and her daughter both end up on No Fly Lists, because of PEACE DEMONSTRATIONS, my sis was involved in, in 1966. The woman has been a kindergarten teacher for over 30 years, and hadn't had so much as a speeding ticket,
You don't want to fly with me then, I'm always pulled out of line and have to go thru extra security because of my CDL. When I renew my driver's license the old ones are sent to Homeland security. Heck if I know why, but they do (guess this happens to all CDL drivers now) my youngest dd FIL is a truck driver and he gets the same treatment that I get when he fly's too.
I think they went way over board with this kid. Good for him for suing for his rights. Can't say I blame him at all.
~Sam
>Incidences like this make it quite obvious we NEED people in TSA, who are familiar with the Arabic/Muslim language and culture<
And what do you think of the TSA personnel being Muslim themselves? When I was coming back from Denver CO in '06, the TSA agent who screened me was a Muslim woman in her hibee (hope I spelled that right) that really bothered me. That's like letting the cat guard the bird cage. I didn't say anything to her, but I really wanted to call the TSA office there and give them a earful. Not all Muslim speak Arabic. I drive a school bus and have had both sec. of their reglion on my bus.
~Sam
**And what do you think of the TSA personnel being Muslim themselves?**
This is not an issue for me, given they've gone through the screening all TSA employees go through. Just like I got processed to be in the finance
My first dental student at the U of Washington was Persian (that's what she called herself, so that what I'm going to call her) very nice young lady. I was her dental theses, her entire family was very westernized. They left Iran when she was very little, moved to Germany first and then to the states. I would of stayed with her after she graduated and started her own office except went to work for someone not on my insurance plan.
To me the young women in Denver CO was a problem. Normally I don't give a hoot about someone religion is, but it just not right to have them doing the screening, they could just let their buddies on with bombs. Hey if I'm get extra once over just because of what I do for a living there is a big problem with having them doing the screening.
>Seriously? You really think that all observant Muslims are a danger to our skies? That a person's religious beliefs should bar them from holding certain government jobs? Wow.<
ok #1 TSA agents aren't government jobs, they work for a private company. I have a knitting friend who worked at SEATAC airport here in Seattle. They don't get paid swat. I'm a government employee.
#2 We had a opening for 2 new bus drivers in my district, 3 Muslim women applied, they didn't get the jobs because they wore the long flowing head dress and it won't work with our line of work (we don't just sit in the driver's seat, we are up & down buckling kids into seat belts and CVY seats) they are fine to be our monitors but not the drivers. As my boss was afraid that their head covering would/could interfere with their sight.
#3 I don't normally give a hoot about someone religion, but if I'm getting pulled out of security line because of what I do for a living, I have a problem with it being someone who could be in support of the terrorist. Don't you?
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