That Darned No-Fly List!

Senator Ted Kennedy is a bit unhappy that he was stopped in airports five times in March because his name appeared on a “no-fly” list.

Apparently, a known terrorist is also using “T Kennedy” as an alias and it took about three weeks for Kennedy to get his name removed. He, of course, used these incidents to tell the 9/11 Commission about how ineffective the “no-fly” list is.

I sympathize with the guy. I imagine it could be a bit inconvenient to have to prove that you’re a US Senator and not a terrorist. I mean, it’s not nearly as inconvenient as having your plane flown into a skyscraper by a terrorist who happens to be using your name as an alias, but sure, it’s inconvenient.

It sure seems the “no-fly” list is effective, insofar as it pulled a “T Kennedy” out of line for further scrutiny. When a supervisor found that this “T Kennedy” wasn’t the terrorist one, they let him board the plane. That looks simple enough and it actually worked. No terrorist using a “T Kennedy” alias got on the plane.

But the Senator is right. The only “T Kennedy” who got on the plane should not have appeared on a “no fly” list. Now, if we’re talking about a “no drive with a young staffer” list or a “no swim out of a sunken vehicle while drunk” list, then you’ve got something.

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Category: Fighting the Islamists, Political Pontifications